Equestria Occupied
by Fist of Enmity
Summary: In 2030, during a second cold war, the United States Military happens across a rift connecting their reality to that of Equestria. Hoping to capitalize on any possible advantage this will give them, commando teams are trained and send into a world unknown to them, ordered to scout the area out and establish contact. How will Equestria deal with these new and unusual visitors?
1. Chapter 1

**Authors Note**: First Fan-Fiction. Also, I don't know much about the protocols of the United States Military, so I could very well be doing something wrong with respect to proper procedure. Apologies for any inaccuracies you might notice.

Equestria Occupied

First Lieutenant Jason Forman listened to his own footsteps as the soles of his boots came down on the tunnel's hard concrete floor. This gray, barren, underground passage was just one of the many subterranean routes of Joint Base Ingram, the newest United States Military base, which had become operational only a few years ago.

History had repeated itself; the United States was in another cold war, this time with China. New weapon systems were developed, missiles poured from factories by the dozen, tanks rolled out of their production plants, and the entire country had renewed patriotism, and an interest in the spread of democracy, through force if necessary.

Forman couldn't help but think he had forgotten about something; a nagging sensation at the back of his mind told him he was missing some important detail about the day, though he couldn't imagine what it was. He was on his way now to where he would begin his new assignment, whatever that may be. After months of intense training and tests, he was finally about to find out just what he had been preparing for. Surely, he could be forgetting some detail about his new posting; he had taken steps to ensure every detail he could manage to find was abundantly clear to him. No, he wasn't forgetting something about his new job, but instinct told him whatever he had forgotten was something sinister. He came to a three-way intersection of tunnel, and turned right.

"Jason, hey- wait up!" Someone called out his name; Forman could recognize that voice anywhere. He turned around, and saw his friend, Second Lieutenant Mark Marshall bounding down the tunnel towards him.

"Mark, good to see you here," Forman said. The two had participated in the same training over the past several months, but had been friends before that. Now, they would be working together in the same new environment.

"On your way to the new job?" Marshall asked, matching his stride with Forman's brisk pace.

"Sure am, you're headed there yourself too, right?" Forman answered.

"Yep; speaking of, do you even know what the job is going to be?" Marshall asked.

"Nobody would tell me. Even after I passed everything and got approved for this, I was told I wouldn't find anything out until the briefing", Forman replied.

"Same thing happened to me; I tried to use the training they put us through to figure out what we'll be doing, except most of it makes no sense. I mean, all the advanced medical stuff I can understand, but then they had us study the anatomy of dozens of different animals, with heavy emphasis on horses, then they had us study Greek and Norse mythology, _then _had us train against cardboard cutouts of a bunch of animals, most of which I'm sure don't even exist, how the hell are we gonna' put any of that to use?"

"I dunno. I guess we'll just have to find out when we're being briefed", Forman said.

"Yeah…guess so," Marshall sighed, and then added "Big day for you, though, am I right?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Forman asked. "We both have the same new job, what's different for me?"

"C'mon Jason, May 15th, 2030?" Marshall said, informing him of the days date.

"Yeah…?" Forman asked, before realization dawned on him. "Oh hell…" he muttered, stopping dead in his tracks.

"Yep; happy 27th birthday!" Marshall said, clapping his friend on the shoulder before walking off, leaving him behind.

Forman shook himself from his daze, and took off after him. "Hey!" he called to Marshall. "You're going to keep this to yourself, right?"

He received no answer, and called out again, "Right?" When he caught up, Marshall offered him a smile, and pushed open the door to room 224, their destination.

They entered the room, and located their superior officer, Colonel Chad Davis. The two lieutenants saluted sharply to the colonel, who returned the salute. "At ease" Davis said. "Gentlemen, it's good to see you here."

"It's good to be here, sir. Are we on time for the briefing?" asked Forman.

"The briefing isn't scheduled for another 15 minutes, but since everyone is here now, we'll go ahead and begin. Head through that door, and in a few minutes, the briefing will commence." Davis pointed towards a plain looking door, and they walked through it. On the other side, they found 50 or so soldiers sitting in front of a Smart board. Taking two empty seats, they sat down and waited for the briefing to begin.

Colonel Davis entered, flanked by a staff officer. The soldiers stood for the colonel, and he told them they may be seated.

"Gentlemen, it's taken each one of you exceptionally hard work just to sit in this room today; congratulations," Davis began. "I can say with complete confidence, you all are the most prepared we have to complete the task ahead of you. And I'm sure that, after months of preparation, you're all wondering just what that task is. Well, eight months ago, our scientists managed to stabilize a sort of….rift between two realities." Davis paused for a moment, allowing that statement to sink in. "Based on pictures taken during many high-altitude surveillance missions, we have identified several native species, with the primary population composing of what closely resembles horses." Pictures began to appear on the Smart-board, changing periodically to fit in with the topic of the colonel's statements. "Whatever these natives are, they're a highly-intelligent civilization, with established communities, and a trans-continental railway system. Business and road signs indicate, astonishingly, English as a primary language, and a variety of statues and monuments indicate the relevance of, or perhaps even the direct presence of, Norse and Greek mythology within their society."

Normally, the soldiers might expect everything to be a hoax. However, after the months of training they had undergone, not to mention to money the U.S. Government had spent to fund that training, it only made sense that what the colonel was telling them was true. Especially since the scientific community had lately been overtaken by an interest with the possibility of alternate realities, and how they might be accessed.

Davis began his closing remarks. "I know this might seem a bit hard to believe, but trust me; it's real. You all will be the first to conduct any large-scale ground operations, especially missions relating to establishing first contact with the natives; represent your country well. Officers and team leaders, remain behind, all other personnel will exit through the door and report to room 235" Davis said, ending the briefing.

After most of the soldiers had filed out the door, Davis signaled for the remaining personnel to come and occupy the seats nearest to him. "Gather 'round, everybody", the colonel said. Once the seats had been filled, he addressed the group.

"I'm going to let you all in on what the DOD is hoping to get out of this", Davis said. "A very unique opportunity has presented itself to us, and we have every intention of capitalizing on it. In short gentlemen, we're going to build a base on the other side of that rift. This cold war with China is looking like it could turn hot at any moment, and if we can put a base inside another reality, it will significantly increase the retaliatory capabilities of the United States, in the event that China should launch any sort of attack against us, including a nuclear attack. A military base on another plane of reality ensures that the U.S. can keep fighting, even if all the bases on this side of the rift are leveled." Davis paused for a moment, and looked left from right, into the eyes of all the soldiers that sat before him. "It would be preferable, if construction of the base can be on friendly terms with the natives. However, we _will_ be putting a base there, one way or another", Davis said gravely. "Any questions?"

Forman's hand shot up. "Yes, sir; I have one."

"Lieutenant; go ahead" Davis instructed.

"How much do we know about the military capabilities of the natives?" Forman asked.

"We know next to nothing, Lieutenant. Aerial surveillance hasn't reviled anything that looks like it might be a military base by today's standards, and no vehicles that you'd expect to find in a modern military have been photographed either. It can be assumed that their capabilities are vastly inferior to our own, but we won't know anything for certain until all of you go through, and clarify the situation", Davis explained.

"Yes sir; thank you," Forman replied.

"Anybody else?" Davis asked, and seeing no raised hands, or other indications of a question, he ended the meeting. "Very well; one last thing; there is a chance you will be met with hostility. Should that happen, you are permitted to use any means at your disposal to defend yourselves, and the lives of your men. Use good judgment; it's better that we can get on good terms with the natives, but personally, I would consider the life of an American serviceman more important than the lives of any aggressive natives. That is all; report to room 235, there you will be assigned your men, and then you will pick up your equipment. In two hours, you will be walking through the rift, and into uncharted territory. Dismissed", Davis said, and the soldiers filed out of the room.

* * *

It was a silent night in Ponyville, except for the sounds of a single pair of wings beating against the cool air. Under the light of Luna's moon, Princess Twilight Sparkle descended through the midnight sky, towards her residence in Ponyville's library.

Her hoofs kicked up dust as they landed on the dirt road, and her feathers rustled as she folded her wings into her body. Fatigued by the trip, she let out a sigh, relieved to finally be home. She willed the door in front of her to open and it obeyed her command, swinging in to allow her entrance to her home. Stepping inside, she surveyed the familiar interior which she had missed so much during her time away. Only earlier that day, she had returned from the Human world, after defeating Sunset Shimmer and reclaiming her Element of Harmony. After reporting to Princess Celestia what she had occurred there, Twilight departed from Canterlot Castle, and headed back to Ponyville. She had been offered a room to stay in at the castle, of course, but declined the offer, preferring to, once again, sleep in her own bed.

Casting light from her horn, she climbed up the staircase and made her way to her room. Her eyelids were heavy, and every muscle in her body ached, making the thought of a good night's sleep very attractive. After what seemed an eternity, she arrived at her room, and curled up on her soft bed, and a sense of relief and closure washed over her; she had stopped Sunset Shimmer, and returned her Element of Harmony. Now, she could finally rest peacefully. "Everything is certainly fine" she said, and let out a small chuckle, convinced everything would be easy going from here on out.

* * *

The 50 soldiers of the First Alternate Reality Group, the name which had been assigned to the group deploying to this strange new world, were traveling through an underground tunnel on-board a magnetic levitation train. In less than 45 minutes, they would step through into the unknown.

Forman turned to the group's commander, Captain Cole Becker. "What do you make of this, sir?" the lieutenant asked.

The captain shook his head slightly and let out a breath. "It's incredible, if it's true."

"You still have your doubts about its validity, sir?" Forman questioned.

"I want it to be true, Lieutenant; it would be the opportunity of a lifetime. And I have no reason to doubt it, especially after all the training they put us through. But it still seems like a story out of a science-fiction movie, or something", explained the captain.

Forman could feel the train slowing down as it approached its stop. "I guess we're about to find out for ourselves, sir."

"That we are, lieutenant", replied the captain.

The train slowed to a halt, and the doors slid open to reveal a cement boarding/offloading platform. The underground station was illuminated by bright LEDs, which cast a cold, bluish-white light. Forman exited the train silently, with the rest of the men, feeling a spirit of bold curiosity that was hampered only by a slight pang of fear at the unknown factors of the mission ahead. Next to him, Marshall was feeling much the same thing. A guide led the group through several underground hallways, until they finally arrived at a massive blast door.

Alarms blared and amber lights flashed as the gigantic door slowly opened, revealing the space behind it. Forman saw what appeared to be the interior of a huge hanger-type building; bigger than any he had ever seen before. Aircraft were lined up against one wall, and a runway lead from the entrance down towards what looked like a giant opening at the end of the hanger, which opened into the cool night. At the moment no aircraft were on the runway, but several Humvees and transport trucks were parked off to one side.

"Hey Marshall, why do you think this hanger had a door on one end, and a huge gaping hole in the other?" Lieutenant Forman asked his friend.

Before Marshall could answer, a man in a lab-coat interjected himself into the conversation. "That gaping hole, as you so elegantly put it, is your rift into another reality, Lieutenant" he explained, and extended his hand towards Forman "Doctor Marcus Jones", he said intruding himself to the lieutenant, who shook his outstretched hand.

"Lieutenant Jason Forman", Forman said, introducing himself to the doctor.

"Yes, yes, I know who you are. I know who you all are, in fact. Now, I'm sure you're all eager to get going with your mission, so if you will mount up in these vehicles, you'll be driven down to the rift. As you can see, it's quite a walk" the doctor said, gesturing to the expansive space behind him.

Lieutenant Forman and Captain Becker loaded into the same Humvee as Doctor Jones, and waited while the rest of the soldiers boarded their vehicles.

"So, Doctor Jones, how did you discover this rift?" Captain Becker inquired.

"It appeared as a strange anomaly on radar, Captain. When some people were sent to investigate, well, this is what they found. Of course, they only found a small portion of it that was above ground; the majority of the rift is actually below ground, and had to be dug out to access the ground level. This hanger was constructed to protect our secret", Doctor Jones replied.

The Humvee began moving, as all the soldiers had mounted up into the vehicles. "And you built this indoor runway?" asked Ford.

"Indeed, it was necessary for us to conduct our aerial surveillance missions. We borrowed some features incorporated into aircraft carriers; for example, an arresting wire to help slow and stop aircraft coming in for a landing", explained the doctor.

"This must have been a massive engineering feat", said Forman with some admiration.

"Oh, it was; but that's really not my department. I am a scientist, after all; my main point of interest is the rift", the doctor replied, as the Humvee began to slow down.

"Well Doctor, it's an honor to get to work with you", remarked Captain Becker.

"Thank you, Captain, and speaking of work, we're here now; let's get started."

The vehicles stopped at the end of the runway, in front of the rift. The soldiers dismounted from the vehicles, and formed up with their teams. Doctor Jones addressed Captain Ford. "Captain, you were made aware of the objective for the first mission, care to inform the rest of your men?"

"Yes, Doctor", Becker said, taking his place in front of his men. "Our first mission through the rift is a reconnaissance operation of the town and surrounding areas. Under the cover of darkness, we will maneuver into positions that have been marked on the maps you received earlier. Using audio and video recording equipment, we will collect any information we can on the inhabitants. Be careful to remain hidden, and keep radio chatter to a minimum. At 2100 hours, we will begin extraction, if conditions permit. Now, if everyone is ready, I think we've all waited long enough to walk through that rift", said Ford, an enthusiastic smile coming over his face. "So, let's move out!"

Forman looked to his left, where a soldier was sticking the barrel of his new M16A5 experimentally through the rift. Then he looked to his right, where he saw Marshall grinning like a madman, unable to contain his excitement. Finally, he looked straight ahead, at the other side of the rift, where dirt met the concrete floor of the hanger in a seamless fashion. Taking a deep breath, and gripping his rifle tightly, he stepped forward, into a new adventure, a new world, and a whole new reality.


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors note: **Special thanks to my friend, Jacob, for helping me edit this chapter, and to EmeraldsandAmethyst, who pointed out the transitions between scenes needed to be made clear.

Lieutenant Forman stepped out the other side of the rift, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Looking back, he saw scientists and technicians standing on just the other side, inside of the hanger. More and more soldiers filed through the rift, out into the night air of a totally new world, and Forman took in his new surroundings. The trees here had been cut down to make it safe for aircraft while taking off and landing through the rift, and several small defensive fighting-positions had been built around the perimeter of the rift. Landing beacons stood on poles, marking the approach for aircraft that were landing at night, but given the absence of any air-traffic, they were off for the moment.

"Alright everyone," Captain Ford said, once all personnel were through, and had divided up into their teams. "You know where you're headed, so let's get moving while we still have the cover of darkness."

"Yes, sir", they replied collectively, and then they disappeared into the dark forest, almost as quickly as they had arrived.

* * *

Applejack yawned, and sat up in her bed. She stretched her muscles, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before sliding off the bedside, landing first on her rear-hooves, followed quickly by her fore-hooves. As she shook her head, her mane whipped the still air of the room. Grabbing her hat off of its hanger, she trotted out the door and into the hallway connected to her bedroom.

"Big-Mac, time to get up!" she shouted into her brothers room, and knocked a hoof against the hard wooden door-frame. "You too, Apple-Bloom", she shouted at her sister, repeating the process at her room. Shuffling bankers and tired groans let Applejack know that her commands were being followed. Having completed this first step of her morning routine, Applejack headed down a flight of stairs, and into the kitchen.

She hummed a tune as she fixed breakfast for herself, working off the sleepy aftereffects one feels after waking up. Applejack devoured the hearty meal she had prepared, and drank a large bucket of water to ensure she was hydrated for the workday ahead. Still seeing no sign of her brother or sister, she walked to the bottom of the staircase and shouted up to them. "Apple-Bloom, Big-Mac, c'mon now, get up and fix yerself something to eat!"

A single "E'yup" uttered by a deep, tired voice answered her, and she nodded approval; Big-Mac was up, at the very least, and he would ensure that Apple-Bloom was roused, and fed before engaging in the morning chores.

Stepping out the front door and onto the porch, Applejack inhaled deeply, smelling the early-morning scents of the farm, and grinned with enthusiasm, thinking of the day ahead on her beloved Sweet-Apple Acres. Letting out a breath, her grin of enthusiasm turned to a smile of sentimentality, as she reflected on everything the farm meant to her. After all these years, it was more than just where she worked, more than a home, even; it represented challenges overcome, by her, and with the help of friends and family. It represented lessons learned; that however impossible a situation may seem, any difficulties could be overcome with help from those close to you, help any true friend would gladly provide. However strong a single pony may be, the collective strength of a group of friends was immeasurable.

Applejack let out a chuckle; she was thinking about "mushy stuff", as Rainbow Dash would put it. She walked down the stairs, off the porch and into the yard. Relishing in the feel of the crisp grass crunching under her hooves, she trotted to the chicken coop, filling the food trough, and then the water trough, so that the chickens would have nutrition and water when they woke, and began to move about; the eggs would be collected later, once the sun rose. Next, she repeated the procedure at the cattle pasture, making sure sufficient food and water was contained in the feeding troughs. The first of her chores completed, she looked up at the sky, judging the time of the morning. By the looks of things, she'd have time to make it to her favorite spot to watch the sun rise over the apple orchard. Readying her muscles, and leaned in, and took off at a full sprint, towards the top of the tallest hill, which overlooked the orchard. As she ran toward her destination, feeling the wind rustle through her mane, she was blissfully unaware of ten watchful stares, observing her every move.

* * *

Princess Twilight Sparkle awoke with a start; she sat straight up in bed, and violently inhaled. Even though she knew she had only slept for a few hours, she felt no traces of the previous night's fatigue left in her body. She rolled out of bed, and quickly donned her crown; something was very, very wrong in Equestria.

"Spike!" she called out to her assistant, before remembering that while she had returned to Ponyville, he had opted to remain at the Canterlot Castle. Needing desperately to inform Princess Celestia of what she felt, and having no quick means of sending a letter to her, she knew the only way to inform her friend and mentor would be to fly to Canterlot herself. Rushing out onto the deserted street, she sprinted forward and extended her wings, hoping for the best. She still was an inexperienced flyer, and while she had made a trip from Canterlot to Ponyville, that had been mostly just a controlled descent, from the castle, located at a high elevation, to her library, which was at a much lower one. Now, she would need to rely on adrenaline, determination, and luck to carry her to the castle. Twilight beat her wings, and despite the difficulty, managed to get herself airborne, and on the way to Canterlot.

The castle of Canterlot was growing larger every second, giving Twilight the mental strength she needed to power through the exhaustion threating to overtake her body. Her wings felt like heavy lead weights, and every time she flapped them, a burning pain shot through her muscles. Gritting her teeth, she held her wings out, and glided down through the air, towards the entrance to the castle.

Twilight's landing was sloppy, and she stumbled several steps forward when her hoofs noisily slapped down on the polished stone floor.

"Princess Twilight!" a guard exclaimed, started by her sudden appearance.

"I need to speak to Princess Celestia, immediately!" Twilight ordered, breathing heavily.

"Yes, Princess" the guard said, bowing, and then moving off to alert the other princess; within ten minutes, Princess Twilight and Celestia were together in a meeting room.

"Princess Twilight; what is it that's troubling you?" asked Celestia, using her magic to pour a cup of tea for herself and her former student.

"That's just it, Princess Celestia; I don't know quite what it is. This morning I woke up, and I felt something was wrong, like there's something in Equestria that shouldn't be", Twilight explained.

"Did you feel anything else? Any sort of imminent danger, or maybe where this…wrong feeling originated from?" inquired Celestia.

"No…I only felt that something was very, very wrong. I guess it's kind of silly, and I was just overreacting to nothing," Twilight said, before hanging her head, feeling she may have made the wrong decision.

"No, not at all, Twilight," Celestia said, extending a wing underneath Twilight's chin, and raising her head up. "You need to learn to trust your instincts; it's an important quality for a ruler. You made the right choice, coming to tell me this," said Celestia, encouragingly.

"What do you think we should do now?" asked Twilight, an upbeat gleam glowing to her eyes.

"Do you still feel something to be wrong?" Celestia asked.

"No…not anymore; not as strong, anyway; I think all I'm feeling now is the after effects," replied Twilight.

"Very well, Twilight; but I want you to let me know if you feel any changes. For now though, you really should get some rest", Celestia told her.

As soon as Princess Celestia mentioned sleep, Twilight realized how tired she actually was. Her slumber had been interrupted, and she had been exhausted the night before. The flight from Ponyville had only made things worse, and she was in desperate need of a good, long rest.

* * *

Lieutenant Marshall and a soldier from his squad, Corporal Jackson, had detached themselves from the main unit, electing to follow Applejack while the rest of the squad broke down into four other units of two, and reconnoiter the farm and surrounding areas. While she moved much faster than the two soldiers, they had managed to maintain visual contact with her while she was galloping towards her favorite hill.

Marshall and Jackson closed in on her, as she stood waiting for the sunrise. With the first morning rays of the rising sun, Marshall was able to use his binoculars to get a good look at her. The fuzzy imaging provided by his night-vision equipment could obscure finer details, especially at a distance.

Raising the binoculars to his eyes, and adjusting the focus, Marshall's eyes were greeted by what, at first glance, appeared to be a basic pony, but had several very unusual features. One: the entire face was rather human-like, two: the pony wore a hat, and three: what looked to be a symbol of some sort stood out against the rear flank.

_Do horses get tattoos?_ Marshall wondered to himself, as he lowered his binoculars, and shot a glance over to Jackson. The corporal sensed the lieutenant had observed something unusual, so he produced his own set of binoculars, intent on having a good look at the pony they had been following. Pushing a low-lying branch forwards and out of the way, Corporal Jackson peered through the binoculars, taking in what he saw. Raising an eyebrow at the odd spectacle, and hoping to obtain a better look, the corporal leaned forwards, and that was when disaster befell him.

_Crack!_

The branch that the corporal had disturbed from its natural position broke as more pressure was applied and created a violent snapping sound that resonated through the silent orchard. Applejack whipped around to face the source of the noise. Branches do break from time to time, but not normally on a calm morning; not unless something broke them. Her concern was that something may have come in from the Everfree, perhaps a Timberwolf, or some other creature, and that it was loose in Sweet Apple Acres.

As soon as he had broken the branch, Corporal Jackson froze, knowing that any more movement would probably just attract attention. He was still partially covered by the branch, which was now dangling, suspended by only a few strands of bark and wood. He was relying on his camouflage and the shadow of the hill to avoid Applejack's detection.

Seeing nothing that indicated a threat to her or the orchard, Applejack shrugged it off. The rising sun crested over the horizon, casting rays of brilliant, golden light over the apple orchard. _Never gets old_, Applejack thought to herself, as the spectacle unfolded before her; letting out an enthusiastic "Yee-haw!" she bolted from the top of the hill, running full spring between the freshly illuminated apple trees.

"Well done, Corporal", Marshall said, sarcastically rebuking the soldier once Applejack was out of earshot.

"Sorry sir; won't happen again", Jackson replied.

"That'd be appreciated, Jackson; I'd rather us make first contact under better conditions," Marshall said lightly, before casting his gaze towards the sky. "C'mon, it's getting light out; we'd better get moving to be better observation position."

* * *

Rainbow Dash was sleeping peacefully in her comfortable bed. She wasn't a morning pony, and loathed having to wake up before the sun had risen into its late morning position. Suddenly, out of nowhere, some horrid, high pitched screeching noise forced her out of her blissful sleep. Infuriated by the interruption, Dash looked about her room for the source of the offending sound, and quickly singled it out as her alarm clock.

"You!" she snarled at the hated instrument, taking off from her bed and flying over to it.

Striking the _off_ button with greater force then necessary, Dash hovered downward until her hooves were on the floor of her room. "Why did I set this stupid thing?" she wondered to herself, well aware she'd never want to wake herself in the morning without a very good reason. Then, it hit her; a new Wonderbolt requirement that mandated a bare minimum of 45 minutes of training every week-day. Her schedule later that day was packed, and as much as she despised it, she'd have to practice her flying in the morning.

Muttering her hatred for the rule, she began stretching out her wings, and headed for her balcony. The morning light forced her to eyes, which were still heavy from sleep, to squint in a pitiful attempt to block out the blinding rays. Standing out in the open air, she mentally planned out her flight path, which would take her by a series of distinctive land-marks, so she could check her speed, and make sure her pacing was correct. The first landmark was a tall hill near the edge of Ponyville, and she could barely make distinguish its outline. Setting herself up first and starting a stopwatch, she took off, tearing through the sky towards her intended target.

* * *

Forman and his team were arriving at the outskirts of Ponyville. They were stationed on a tall hill, and would be taking up positions on any other high ground surrounding the town to conduct their surveillance. Eyeing the buildings, a wide variety of architecture was apparent; some buildings resembled old cottage-type homes complete with thatched roofs and timber framing, while others looked very much like buildings from present day Earth.

"Interesting blend of styles", a soldier remarked, as if reading Forman's mind.

"Looks a lot better in person, than from aerial surveillance photos" Forman replied.

"Are we on the lookout for anything specific, sir?" the soldier asked.

"I'd keep an eye out for any buildings that look like they're government, or some sort of public service; schools and hospitals, for example", Forman explained.

"Or a town hall?" inquired another soldier, who was looking through binoculars.

"Exactly" Forman replied.

"You might want to see this then, sir", the soldier remarked, offering him the set of binoculars. Forman took them, and held them up to his eyes.

"Center of the town, sir; I can't guarantee it's a town hall, but it looks to have the making of it", said the soldier.

"Good job; keep an eye on it", instructed Forman. "Now, the rest of you-what? What the Sam Hill is that?!" the lieutenant asked, squinting at an object at the distance.

The soldiers followed gaze, and were equally baffled; what appeared to be a streak of rainbow was soaring through sky. Murmurs of surprise turned to mild alarm when the rainbow changed course, now bearing towards them. Some of them ducked as it flew overhead, and the rest stood in stunned silence as they heard it call out, in a female voice, "Yes; new record!"

Finally somebody asked, "What the hell was that?"

Shaking his head, Forman answered. "I have no idea, but we're going to find out; anyway everybody, let's get into position."

* * *

"Jackson, we're not lost, are we?" Marshall asked, feeling they were absolutely no closer to finding their observation point then they were when they had originally left for it.

"No, sir", the corporal said confidently, and then amended his statement. "Well…I don't believe we are, sir."

"Great; we are lost", Marshall sighed. "Gimmie the damn map" the lieutenant ordered, seizing the map and then taking the lead.

"I'm sorry sir, but we don't have GPS, and it's hard to find any distinguishing features to navigate by", Jackson explained.

"I don't blame you, Corporal," sighed Marshall. "One apple tree looks like another, I suppose. You know…all these trees everywhere, they remind me of a time me and a buddy of mine had to get a tree stump out of the ground" Marshall said, reflecting on the incident. He stopped walking, and carefully studied the map, trying to plot a course out of the orchard.

"How'd that go, sir?" asked Jackson, keeping an eye out of trouble.

"Oh…horribly; it took hours. At one point, we even resorted to shooting it with 12 gauge shotgun slugs", Marshall replied.

"Shotgun slugs, sir?" Jackson asked, followed by what Marshall guessed was the man trying to suppress laughter.

"They helped to break up the wood some; or so we like to think, at least", explained the lieutenant. "Like I said, it took quite a while. I'll have to tell you the full story sometime, corporal," Marshall said, and continued looking over the map. After a minute or so, Marshall remarked "You're being pretty quiet, Jackson." Receiving no reply, however, prompted Marshall to look over where the corporal should be. However, Corporal Jackson was nowhere to be seen.

"Jackson?" Marshall called out, fear seeping into his body. Marshall hastily stuffed the map into a cargo pocket and extended his rifle out in front of him, scanning the orchard trees for whatever it was that might have caused Jackson's disappearance.

Marshall felt an unseen attacker was stalking him from every direction, managing to avoid his detection, and silently creeping in while he had his back turned. He whipped around, ready to let loose a hailstorm of bullets at any threat that presented itself, but saw nothing other than orchard trees. Forcing himself to calm down, Marshall dropped down onto one knee, and called out over the radio.

"This is Pilgrim-3 Actual to Mayflower, over", Marshall said, remembering the call-signs even through his panic.

_"__Mayflower to Pilgrim-3 Actual; go ahead."_

"Mayflower, this is Pilgrim-3 Actual, I am reporting a bent sword, over" Marshall said, using the code word that had been assigned to a missing soldier.

_"__Pilgrim-3, Actual, this is Mayflower; confirm you reporting a bent sword, over."_

"Pilgrim-3 Actual to Mayflower, that is affirmative. I am reporting a bent sword, over."

Several uncomfortable moments of silence passed before a response came. _"Mayflower copies, Pilgrim-3 Actual; fall back to your squads rendezvous point and standby for further orders; Mayflower, out._

Marshall stood up, and heard rustling immediately behind him. Adrenaline shooting through his body, he tried to face the source of the noise, but before he was able to make anything out, everything in his vision went black.


	3. Chapter 3

"All Pilgrim elements, this is Pilgrim-1 Actual; Pilgrim-3 Actual has reported a bent sword, and is failing to respond to any radio calls. Fall back to primary regroup point, over."

Forman took in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. He and his men had been attempting to track some unknown flying object, but it moved at speeds much greater than they were capable of on the ground, and it wasn't long before they had lost sight of it. Now, Captain Becker, commander of both the mission and the unit Pilgrim-1, had informed them that Lieutenant Marshall, commander of Pilgrim-3, had reported a bent sword, the code word for a missing soldier. What's more was that after making the report, Marshall himself had failed to respond to calls for him over the radio; it could be assumed Marshall was now missing as well. Captain Becker was ordering his entire force, consisting now of 48 soldiers, to regroup at their primary regroup position and a quick look at the map told Forman that position was some three kilometers away; they would have to hurry.

"Alright everyone," Forman said, addressing his troops, "we've got a three-klick hike back to the regroup point. Two men are missing, so let's double-time it; move out!" Forman ordered, setting off with his unit at a brisk march.

* * *

The two missing soldiers, Corporal Hunter Jackson, and Second Lieutenant Mark Marshall, were tied back-to-back and sitting in a dimly lit barn, under the observation of Applejack, and Big Macintosh. The two soldiers still had most of their gear; Applejack and Big Mac only removed their rifles, which were lying on a nearby table. Movement from Marshall, followed by a groan, let the brother and sister know one of their captives was coming around.

As Marshall regained his senses, he did everything he could to gauge his current state of affairs. Obviously, he had been captured by someone, and was currently tied up against something, or someone; it was difficult to tell. It felt like he was still wearing his vest and helmet, and he had a pounding sensation in his head. A sudden burst of tinny noise directly in his ear intensified the pain, prompting him to grimace and groan; that must be the headset connected to his radio; at least he still had that. Opening his eyes, he saw a large blur of red color, and a second blur of orange, which was smaller than the first blur, and positioned next to it. Slowly his vision corrected itself, revealing that these two blurs were ponies, and that the orange one was the same he and Jackson had tailed earlier. Jackson; now that his senses were returning, he realized the corporal must be what he was tied up against. Corporal Jackson, however, seemed to still be unconscious.

"Who are you?!" demanded Applejack, stomping a hoof, and leaning in over Marshall.

Marshall opened his mouth, and racked his brain for the answer; he knew there was something he was supposed to say, but his mind hadn't processed the information yet. After several moments of uncomfortable silence, it came to him; name, rank, and service number.

"Mark Marshall, second lieutenant, United States Army; service number, 393-57-3102" Marshall declared.

Applejack and Big Mac exchanged glances; most of this had no meaning to them. They recognized a few key words; the rank of lieutenant, and the word army. He was a soldier of some sort, and Mark Marshall must be his name.

"Alright, Mark Marshall; why are you here?" Applejack asked.

"Mark Marshall, second lieutenant, United States Army; service number, 393-57-3102" repeated Marshall. Applejack stared him down; if he really was a soldier, then she needed to report his presence. Making a mental note to pay Twilight Sparkle a visit soon, she pressed him for more information.

"What were y'all doin' in Sweet Apple Acres?" she inquired, fearing for the safety of the orchard.

"Please don't make me say it again, it's all I'm going to give you" Marshall pleaded. Applejack assumed_ it_ was the seemingly useless string of information he had given her twice already. Marshall continued on; "Look, I think there's been a misunderstanding. Let us go, we aren't here to hurt you."

"Why should I believe you?" Applejack asked.

"Well, why shouldn't you?" Marshall attempted as a counter to her point.

"You two were sneaking 'round my orchard!" exclaimed Applejack.

Marshall grimaced; "Okay, yes, I do admit that seems a bit suspicious. But it's not as bad as it looks."

"Oh really? Then might you tell me what y'all were doin'?" asked the farmer pony.

"I really can't tell you that. I'm only allowed to give you my name, rank, and service number," said Marshall, apologetically.

"Well then; if you can't be honest with me, I see no reason to believe you" Applejack replied, matter-of-factly, and turned away from the two U.S. soldiers. "Big Mac, keep an eye on 'em. I'll go get Twilight" she said, terminating the interrogation.

"E'yup" replied Big Mac, fixing his gaze on the two men. Applejack left the barn, heading towards Ponyville.

* * *

Forman and his squad finally had their destination in sight; the top of a hill overlooking the town they had passed earlier. A dense growth of trees and bushes provided concealment, while the hill itself was a good defensive position. Cresting over the top of the hill, Forman spotted Captain Becker, and hurried over to him.

"Sir; what's our situation?" Forman asked.

"Still nothing from Lieutenant Marshall; Sergeant Major Erik has assumed command of Pilgrim-3, and we now know that Corporal Jackson was the soldier Marshall reported missing. He and Marshall had followed a local, and they never regrouped with the rest of the unit," Captain Ford informed him.

"Gotta' plan, sir?" asked Forman.

"Actually, yes, Lieutenant; you and I are going to go make contact with the local population", replied the captain.

"Sir?" Forman was half expecting some sort of joke. "I thought we needed more information before making contact; that was the point of our reconnaissance."

"That was the original plan, Lieutenant; however, it seems likely that Lieutenant Marshall and Corporal Jackson may have been taken captive. If that's the case, they already know about us, and if that's not the case, a search-and-rescue mission will probably attract their attention. Plus, we might be able to persuade them to help us locate our missing men", explained Ford.

"Alright then, sir; I'm ready when you are," replied Forman.

"Glad to hear it; in that case, let's get moving," Becker said.

* * *

After finally getting a satisfying rest, Twilight Sparkle woke up in her room in Canterlot Castle. She rolled out of bed, secured her crown, and used magic to place it atop her head. After stretching out her muscles to purge the achy sensation of sleep from her body, she made for the door.

Twilight was hoping to find Spike, and get back to Ponyville. Though the sense of alarm she had felt earlier had passed, she still wondered what exactly had caused it, and hoped her library might have a book that contained the answer.

"Now, where could that dragon be," wondered Twilight. Canterlot Castle was a huge structure, and it could take her hours to find her assistant. To improve her efficiency, Twilight made a mental list of places the dragon would likely be. The first place she was going to check was the dining hall; however it proved to be unnecessary when she encountered Spike on the way to the first location.

"Spike; there you are!" Twilight exclaimed, grabbing the attention of the small dragon.

"Your highness", Spike said, bowing elegantly.

"Spike, I told you not to do that", Twilight said irritably, letting out a huff.

"I know," replied the dragon, grinning up at her.

A slight smile broke through her face as well. "C'mon Spike, let's get back to Ponyville."

"Aw, what's the rush? Can't we stay here a little longer; have you seen the buffet at the dining hall?" Spike pleaded.

"Sorry, Spike" Twilight said, giggling, "I want to get back to the library and do some research."

"Oh goody…" Spike sighed, well aware this would likely mean long hours of note-taking and book-fetching.

"If you're a good little dragon, I'll let you go help Rarity with a dress she's designing, after we finish" Twilight offered as an incentive to help, playing off her assistance crush on the clothing designer.

"Fine" Spike agreed, silently rejoicing at the prospect of spending time with Rarity.

"Alright then; let's find a carriage to take us to Ponyville. I'm still not a very strong flyer, and I certainly couldn't make the trip hanging onto you", Twilight said. It didn't take long, of course, for a princess to appropriate two Pegasi guards and a carriage for transport, and very soon she and Spike were on their way back to Ponyville.

* * *

Lieutenant Forman, Captain Becker, and a third soldier, Corporal Garnet, were all standing just beyond the outskirts of Ponyville, concealed by the surrounding greenery. Their objective, the town hall, jetted out over the roofs of other buildings like a beacon, and the three soldiers were contemplating the events about to take place.

"There's no way we're going to reach that unnoticed, is there, sir?" Garnet asked.

"That would be highly unlikely, Corporal," Becker replied.

"I guess the best thing we can do is march straight to our target, and try to look as friendly as possible", suggested Forman. The term friendly would not, however, normally be used to describe the present appearance of the soldiers. Ford and Forman both carried new M4A2 carbines, which were based off of the proven M4A1, and Garnet carried an M16A5, the most recent addition to the iconic M16 family of rifles. Pistols in thigh-holsters, body armor, and grenades gave the impression these men were about to fight a war, rather than try to negotiate an alliance. Hopefully, these ponies would be ignorant to the power and purpose of U.S. weaponry. Otherwise they might be more inclined to run, rather than talk.

"No use delaying any longer; let's move," Becker said leading Forman and Garnet out of the bushes and onto one of the town's dirt roads, and out into plain view of all the towns inhabitants.

* * *

Applejack was making her way through Ponyville heading towards Twilight's library/home. She was confident that Big Mac could keep the two prisoners captive long enough for her to report the incident to Twilight, who, being a princess, would handle the situation from there. Her primary concern wasn't that the captives might escape, but that their friends might come looking for them, or that Applejack herself could run into them. Though, now that she was in Ponyville, the likelihood of encountering any of these potential hostiles seemed low. Thankful she had avoided their detection, Applejack turned a corner, and let out a loud gasp; comin down the road were three soldiers, who all looked identical, more-or-less, to the two she and her brother had captured earlier.

Ponies were fleeing off the streets as they caught sight of these strange creatures. Their reaction reminded her of how she and her friends once feared Zecora, believing she was an evil enchantress living isolated in the Everfree Forest. Zecora, however, had ultimately proven to be both friendly and helpful, and Applejack highly doubted the same was true for the soldiers.

The group drew closer to her, and Applejack realized the one walking ahead of the other two had shifted his attention over to her. Frozen with fear, she stood perfectly still as they drew closer. Much to her surprise, however, all the creature did was incline his head slightly in her direction, the way one might do if they were offering a silent greeting. They were close enough now that Applejack could make out what they were saying.

"How do we look back there, Garnet?" the leader asked.

"Streets are deserted, sir", replied the one walking at the tail end of the group, who had been checking the area behind him every so often.

"Too bad we don't have a Humvee," grunted the one walking in the middle.

"We'd have to airlift 'em in by helicopter, the forest is too damn thick to drive through", commented the leader.

Applejack had no idea what they were talking about, but now that they had entered Ponyville, it was imperative that Twilight be made aware of their presence as soon as possible. Time was of the absolute essence, so once they had passed by her, Applejack broke out in a run towards Twilights house, careful to avoid any further confrontation with the soldiers.

* * *

"There's the town hall," Ford said, gesturing towards the structure with his carbine.

Forman looked at the building. "Let's hope there's somebody there we can talk to."

The three soldiers marched forward, towards their destination. There didn't appear to be any indications of activity inside the building, but that could very likely be due to their appearance. Most of the town's inhabitants seemed inclined to get indoors as soon as they saw the men.

Upon reaching the stairs leading up to the entrance, Corporal Garnet called out. "Sir, look at that!"

Forman and Becker turned and directed their gaze to where Garnet was pointing. What looked to be a golden carriage pulled behind Pegasi was flying in low towards the town.

"That's new", Forman said, raising an eyebrow.

"Quite so; apparently, they do have flight capabilities" Becker replied, while Forman's mouth pulled into a slight frown as he recalled the flying object he and his men had observed earlier; perhaps, there was a connection to the Pegasus pulling the cart.

"What would the plural of Pegasus be, sir; Pegasi?" Garnet asked, receiving a small shrug from Forman.

"Guess we can ask whoever works here," Becker said, walking up to the door and knocking several sharp blows on the door.

* * *

Mayor Mare cowered behind her desk as the sound of the knocks resonated through the building. Three strange creatures were standing outside of the town hall, apparently demanding entrance. Even from her office, she could hear them.

"C'mon, open up in there! We just want to talk!" bellowed one of them.

"We're not leaving until we talk to someone!" another voice shouted. Seeing no way that she'd be able to out-last them by hiding here in her office, the Mayor took a deep breath, and stood up. She walked calmly out from her office, and to the town halls double-door entrance. Pausing for a moment to compose herself, she cracked open the door on her left, and peered outside.

"Ah; finally!" the one closest to the door said, approvingly. "I am Captain Cole Becker of the United States Army, commander of the First Alternate Reality Group, here to speak on behalf of the United States of America."

Inhaling deeply once more, the Mayor swung the door fully open, and identified herself. "I am Mayor Mare, elected Mayor of Ponyville."

Becker nodded his approval at the mention of elections. "Excellent; Mayor, could we come inside?"

"Perhaps it'd be best if you told me what you wanted first?" she said, apprehensive about allowing them entrance to the building.

"There's a lot we have to talk about, ma'am. It really would be better to discuss it inside," Becker insisted.

Most Equestrians did not react well to strange new beings, and the Mayor was no exception. However, despite the outlandish appearance of the creatures, it seemed to the Mayor they acted friendly enough, and gave no obvious signs of hostility towards her, or the citizens of Ponyville, so she relented to their request. "Very well," she said, standing back so that they could enter.

"Thank you," Captain Becker said. "Corporal Garnet, you stay out here and keep watch; let us know if you run into any trouble. Lieutenant Forman, you're with me."

Mayor Mare watched the two creatures enter; the one called Ford was obviously the leader. She showed the pair to her office, and they sat down in two chairs in front of her desk. It was actually somewhat comical, the Mayor thought, seeing these odd beings attempt to sit comfortably in seats built for ponies. Eventually, they seemed to settle into a more-or-less comfortable sitting position.

"You said you had a lot to tell me?" the Mayor said, indicating that they should begin.

"Oh, yes ma'am; I'll start at the beginning," Becker said.

* * *

Twilight Sparkle now had the library in her sight, and couldn't wait to get back and begin her research. If all went well, she could find some explanation for her feeling earlier.

Surveying the town below her, she noticed something odd; the streets looked completely deserted. Normally she'd be able to see dozens of ponies going about their daily business, but she was unable to spot a single citizen of Ponyville. "Hmm…Spike, is there some sort of holiday today?" she asked her assistant.

"A holiday? I don't think so," replied the dragon.

"Odd; I don't see anypony out on the streets today," Twilight said.

"Really? Let me see," Spike said, standing in his tiptoes and sticking his head over the side of the carriage.

"Careful spike," Twilight cautioned, worried he might fall out.

"Hey you're right; well, there's Applejack at least", said Spike.

"Applejack?" Twilight asked, moving over to Spikes side of the carriage, and peering over the side where she saw her friend running at a full sprint.

"Guards, set us down beside her!" Twilight ordered the Pegasi pulling the carriage.

"Yes, Princess" the replied in unison, altering their course so that they'd intercept the Earth Pony.

"Applejack!" Twilight called out as they flew overhead.

"Twilight!" Applejack shouted back, rushing over to the landing carriage.

"Applejack, what's going on? Where is everypony?" Twilight asked her friend, as she hopped out of the carriage.

"Twilight, there's a bunch of weird creatures in Ponyville!" Applejack reported, skidding to a halt in front of the princess.

"Weird creatures?" Twilight asked, confused.

"I found two of 'em sneaking around Sweet Apple Acres this morning. Big Mac and I caught 'em, and one of 'em said he was a lieutenant in some army."

"A lieutenant, huh?" Twilight said, scratching her chin with her hoof. She was more familiar with military ranks than Applejack, and she knew that in Equestria's Guard, lieutenants would often serve as field commanders. While the U.S. and the Equestria Guard ranking structures were vastly different, in this particular case, they did fulfill much the same role. "I suppose you better take me to them," Twilight said.

"There's three of 'em in Ponyville; I saw 'em headed towards the town hall!" Applejack exclaimed.

"Alright then, we'll start there; hop in," Twilight said, instructing Applejack to get in the carriage. Once they both were aboard, Twilight ordered the guards to take the carriage to the town hall.

Observing Applejack, it was obvious to Twilight she was extremely worried by the creatures she described earlier. "C'mon Applejack, they can't be that bad. Remember how worked up everypony was about Zecora, and now she's one of our friends."

"Trust me Twi, these things are a totally different story," Applejack replied.

"Never judge a pony be its cover, Applejack" Twilight recited the old saying.

"Whatever these things are, they sure as hay ain't ponies" Applejack replied.

"Hmm…what are they, Applejack? What do they look like?" asked Twilight.

"Well, they've got a really short muzzle, they're all fleshy, they walk on their rear hoofs, and their front hoofs ain't hoofs," Applejack said, touching a hoof to her chin as the recalled the details.

Twilight's eyes shot open wide as she heard the description; she knew of only one creature that it matched, but it simply couldn't be possible. Using the technique her sister-in-law, Princess Cadence, had taught her, Twilight managed to calm herself down.

"Princess Twilight, we are approaching the town hall," one of the Pegasi guards reported. Looking out the side of the carriage, Twilight could see the building quickly growing larger, and there, standing outside the doors, was a human.

"Spike, I need you to send this to Princess Celestia," Twilight said, scribbling down a note and handing it to him.

"You got it," Spike said, blowing on the rolled up piece of parchment, sending it to the destination Twilight instructed.

* * *

"Mayor, I'm glad we've managed to arrive at an understanding," Captain Becker said, having concluded the initial meeting between the United States, and any Equestrian government official.

"I've had a letter that explains you and your presence here sent to our leaders in Canterlot, but I wouldn't expect a response from them today. In the meantime, however, you are of course welcome to search for your lost men," the Mayor said in reply.

"Thank you, Mayor; if it's not too much trouble, you might want to let your citizens know we aren't here to cause them any trouble", Ford said.

"I'll make sure to inform them of that," she replied.

Ford's headset cackled; _"Captain you might want to come outside." _Becker recognized Garnets voice.

"Copy that; we're on our way," Becker responded, signaling for Forman to follow him. The two soldiers exited the office, trailed by the Mayor, wondering what was going on.

The doors flew open as Becker and Forman walked through it, and out next to where Garnet stood. At once, Becker could see what the corporal had called about; two Pegasi were hovering in the sky above them, and some sort of purple Pegasus-Unicorn mix was standing on the ground, with a regular looking pony next to her. Much to the dismay of the three soldiers, none of these natives looked particularly happy to see them. Gripping their weapons, but keeping them pointed downward, the Humans waited for the Equestrians to make their next move.


	4. Chapter 4

**Authors Note: **I've ret-conned Captain Ford's name to Captain Becker. His name was similar to Lieutenant Forman, and it's tripped me up on more than one occasion. Apologies for any confusion the change may cause.

Chapter 4

Captain Becker assessed the situation; based on the rundown the Mayor had given him about the species that inhabited this place called Equestria, he, Forman, and Garnet were currently facing two Pegasi, Alicorn, and one Earth Pony. The U.S. soldiers were slightly outnumbered; thought the captain imagined that he and his men were packing significantly more firepower. Nevertheless, Captain Becker was not one to underestimate a potential foe, and issued a hushed order to Corporal Garnet. "Call command; request that they prepare air and artillery support in the event we need it. Report our status to the rest of our group and have them ready to reinforce us at a moment's notice."

"Yes, sir" Garnet replied, and immediately executed the captain's instructions.

Becker glanced over his shoulder where Mayor Mare had been, but found only empty space. Looking forward towards the Equestrians, he discovered she had moved ahead of them, and was bowing before the purple hybrid.

"Princess, you're here already! I only just sent the letter", the Mayor said.

"Mayor, what's going on?" Twilight asked, without taking her eyes off the three men in front of her.

"These are men from the United States of America; they're here trying to establish communications between their country, and Equestria," summarized the Mayor.

"Oh?" asked Twilight, suspiciously. "And they sent soldiers to establish diplomatic contact?"

"The existence of our world is a secret where they're from; soldiers were considered the most trustworthy to send to explore an unknown land, and then make contact", explained Mayor Mare.

Still suspicious, Twilight cautiously drew closer to the three men, never taking her eyes off them. The Mayor trotted closely behind her, ready to make any introductions necessary.

Becker allowed the situation to play out, but he kept his guard up. By now, Garnet should have finished talking with their commanders, and with only a few words Ford could call in aircraft for support, artillery for a fire mission, and the rest of the 45 man group of U.S. soldiers for reinforcements.

"This is Captain Becker," Mayor Mare said introducing the captain to the princess. "Captain, this is one of our ruling princesses, Princess Twilight Sparkle.

"You're Humans," Twilight said plainly.

"Yes, we are," replied Captain Ford, surprised.

"How did you get to Equestria? The only entrance is the portal in The Crystal Empire, and it won't open back up for almost 30 more moons. And even if you did use that one, you should all be ponies right now."

"I think that is an excellent question," boomed a new voice from behind the soldiers. They wheeled around and found themselves faced with another Alicorn; one much larger than Twilight Sparkle, with a white coat, and a pastel-colored mane. She wore a crown as therefore was, presumably, a princess as well.

"Sir!" Forman explained, extending a gloved hand towards the sky. Looking up, Ford saw dozens of Pegasi guards hovering in the sky.

"Princess Celestia," Twilight said as a greeting.

"Princess Twilight," Celestia responded, before fixing her attention back on the captain. "Now, I believe you were going to explain just how you got here?"

"Through a rift connecting our two realities; I don't know the exact science involved," Ford said, shifting his gaze between Twilight and Celestia.

The two princesses exchanged glances, and Becker looked at Forman and Garnet. Both looked to be bracing themselves for what they believed was an inevitable confrontation. Hoping to preserve any peace that was possible, Becker turned his attention back to Celestia, trying to explain the situation to her as best he could.

"Look, I have two soldiers missing. My country sent us here to collect information so we could open up communications with you. We accelerated our plans for first contact because we were worried that they had run into trouble with you, and may have been captured," Becker explained.

Celestia looked puzzled, and the captain went on to ask, "Have you heard anything to that effect?"

Applejack, representing the element of honesty, felt obligated to answer the question. "Actually, I know where those men are."

Becker's eyebrows shot up. "Really? Where?"

"Well…ah…funny story there," Applejack said guiltily, rubbing the back of her head. "Big Mac and I found 'em out in Sweet Apple Acres and kinda'…knocked 'em out and tied 'em up in our barn," she said quickly, and taking notice of the look on Becker's face, quickly added "Now don't y'all go worrying none, they're fine; just tied up."

After a moment or so of silence, Becker looked back to Celestia. "Well, that answers that," he said, meeting her gaze.

Celestia squinted at the man. "Why are you here, Human?"

"Like I said, we were trying to collect information about your society so that our government could contact you," Becker replied.

"What makes our civilization of any interest to yours?" demanded Celestia, causing Becker to hesitate. So far, he had left out that the U.S. wanted to plant a military base here, seeing as it would likely damage the image of his country; especially considering they were trying to make a friendly impression.

"Human curiosity," Becker replied. "We have a natural inclination towards exploring new places." It was more or less a half-truth; the soldiers and scientists who were assigned to the hastily created United States Alternate Reality Command all held a deep desire to discover what this new universe held. His statement was accurate, but it left out the long-term military goals of the operation.

Celestia seemed to consider this; she bore no ill-will towards Humanity, but the sudden appearance of Human soldiers could certainly prove to be cause for concern. Her expression softened, albeit only very slightly. "What is it that you're proposing, exactly?" she asked.

Captain Becker was relieved; it seemed they were making progress towards friendly relations. "A meeting; you can choose the place and the date. We'll send somebody a bit more qualified than me as a representative."

Celestia nodded slowly. "Very well; I must consult with the other princesses first. It may take several days before I can provide you with an answer; Princess Cadence must travel from the Crystal Empire, located far north of here."

"Let us know when you're ready," Becker said, glad the entire operation hadn't been blown.

"I will leave you in the care of Princess Twilight Sparkle; Ponyville is her residence. I must return to Canterlot; there is much preparation to be done." Celestia beat her powerful wings, kicking up dust around the captain. She ascended into the air and began the return flight to Canterlot with most of her guards. However, Becker noted, she seemed to have directed a squadron of them to remain behind.

"I think we can tell our fire support to stand down, Corporal," Becker quietly said to Garnet.

"Yes, sir," Garnet replied, carrying out the order.

"That went well, sir" Forman remarked.

"It ended up working out better than I thought it would; I'm going to update command, you go and talk to our resident princess," Becker said, inclining his head in Twilight's direction.

"Yes, sir," Forman said, hoping he would manage to get her name right. The lieutenant walked up to the hybrid. "I take it you're Princess Twilight Sparkle?"

"Yes, that's correct; you're Forman?" she asked, reading the Velcro nametag stuck to the front of his vest.

"Lieutenant Jason Forman," he replied, nodding an affirmative.

"Welcome to Equestria, Lieutenant Forman," she greeted. Apparently, Princess Celestia felt they had no hostile intentions, so Twilight felt she should offer a greeting. Of course, she would continue to monitor the Humans for the time being.

"Thank you. Oh, and we're going to want our men back," he said to Applejack, who, sensing hostilities had ceased for at least the time being, nodded her reply.

"I'll take y'all to 'em," she said.

Forman acknowledged her with a nod, and signaled for Captain Becker to join them.

"When you're ready sir, we can go pick up Marshall and Jackson," Forman said, once the captain arrived.

"Good; lead on," Becker said, motioning forward with his right hand.

Applejack and Twilight lead Becker, Forman, and Garnet down the road towards Sweet Apple Acres.

"So Captain, how many Humans are there?" Twilight asked, trying to make some conversation.

"Here? We came with a group of 50; the largest group that's ever been sent through the rift," Becker replied.

Twilight nodded; not very long ago, she had theorized the Humans must have been responsible for the feeling she had earlier. A true researcher, she knew that alone wasn't confirmation for her theory; it could be an unlikely coincidence. However, it was still a likely explanation, so she let her mind rest on trying to figure out why the incident had occurred.

"50 Humans? I've only seen five, total," Applejack said.

Forman answered this time. "We've done our best to keep our group hidden. Though, walking through the streets of town earlier may have drawn some attention," he said, sarcastically.

"How long have you been here?" asked Twilight.

"We've only been here for a little over half a day, but the rift was discovered over eight months ago. We're the first ground mission, but our air force has been flying reconnaissance flights for months," Forman answered.

"Ya flew what, now?" Applejack asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"Reconnaissance flights; it's where we get an airplane, and fly over an area to collect information about it" the lieutenant explained, but was met with only blank stares from the two ponies.

"Airplanes are sort of like flying…carriages, I guess; but they fly really high and fast…ah, forget it" Forman grumbled, aborting his effort to explain what an airplane was.

Applejack and Twilight exchanged glances, each trying to visualize a flying carriage, which ultimately raised more questions than it answered.

"Does it…have wings?" Twilight asked.

"Actually, yes," Forman answered.

Applejack shook her head, trying to clear her mind of a chuck-wagon sporting a pair of large, feathered wings.

The small group crested over the top of a hill, and the farm's sign, displaying _Sweet Apple Acres,_ came into view. "Here we are; home sweet home," Applejack announced, grandly sweeping her foreleg over the scenery.

The soldiers followed the pair to what was obviously a barn.

"So, this is where you've got Marshall and Jackson?" Becker asked.

"I know one of 'em is called Marshall; the other didn't speak," Applejack said, opening the door. A shaft of light entered the dark, expansive room, casting illumination on two tied-up Humans, and one large, red Pony, who looked to be leaning his head forward, as one might do if they were listening intently to what someone was saying.

Forman heard Marshall's voice carry over from the middle of the barn. "So, there I was-oh hey! Jason!" the captured soldier called to his friend. Apparently, he had been in the middle of telling one of his many stories. One, Forman thought, he had probably heard before.

Big Macintosh looked up, startled by the abrupt appearance of his sister, Twilight, and three Humans. "It's alright Big Mac; they're friendly! We think," she added as an afterthought, still cautious of the Humans.

"What took you guys so long?" Marshall asked as Forman got to work cutting the ropes.

"We got tied up in a meeting," Forman said, using his head to indicate Twilight was someone he had been meeting with.

"First contact then, eh? How'd it go?" Marshall asked eagerly, mildly disappointed he wasn't able to participate.

"Great; we had a big picnic, and played volley-ball" Forman replied, sarcastically.

"Could horses actually play volley-ball?" Jackson asked, while stretching out his arms and flexing his fingers.

Forman shrugged, and pointed his thumb at the building they were in. "Don't see why not; they built this barn." Forman paused for a second, thinking something over. "Hey, wait a second," he asked Applejack. "How _did_ you build this barn?"

"With the help of family," Applejack replied, cheerfully.

"No, I mean, how did you actually construct it?" Forman inquired.

Applejack, however, never got a chance to answer before Captain Becker cut in. "How are you two feeling?" the captain asked.

"I feel fine, sir," Marshall said.

"All good here too, sir," Jackson reported.

"Captain, according to protocol, they should be cleared by medical personnel before returning to duty," Forman pointed out.

"Yes lieutenant…protocol," Becker sighed.

"We can take them by the hospital to see Nurse Redheart," Twilight offered.

"Thank you, but if an examination must be done, I'd rather have one of our own medics look at them; I think that would prove more effective," Becker replied. "Though, if you would guide them back to town, I'd appreciate that."

"Certainly; are you not coming with us?" Twilight asked.

"I'll catch up; I need to update command on our status," responded Becker. "Forman, Marshall, Garnet, Jackson, follow her."

"Yes, sir," the four soldiers said, and followed Twilight out the door. Applejack and Big Mac followed shortly after, either to perform some chore on the farm, or to follow Twilight back to Ponyville; Becker didn't know which. He got onto his radio, and began giving updates to his commanders.

* * *

Colonel Davis was sitting in his office at the compound constructed around the rift. He was expecting a visit from his superior, General Marsh, and the unexpected turn the mission had taken was weighing heavily on his mind, regardless of how well it had eventually turned out. The phone on the colonel's desk rang, interrupting his thoughts.

"Davis," he said, after picking it up.

"Sir, this is Sergeant Miller; we have an update from Pilgrim-1 Actual." Davis recognized the voice belonging to one of the men from the operations center. Pilgrim-1 Actual, Davis knew, meant Captain Becker. Pilgrim-1 was the unit the captain lead, and the term _actual _was applied to indicate the commander, to whom the call-sign actually applies.

"Sent it," Davis instructed

"Yes sir; Pilgrim-1 Actual reports that the two missing soldiers have been located; both seem to be in good health, but they're being taken to a field medic for an examination."

"Thank you, Sergeant; is that all?"

"Yes, sir," Miller said.

"Alright; Davis out," the colonel said, placing the phone back down, letting out a breath of relief; at least there was some good news. The relief, however, was short lived, as the colonel heard someone knocking on his door.

"Enter," Davis called out, and in walked General Marsh. Davis stood and saluted the general sharply, and the general returned the salute.

"Please General; have a seat," Davis said, gesturing towards a chair.

"Thank you, Colonel," Marsh replied, taking the seat. Davis returned to his own chair, and waited for the general to speak.

"So, Colonel, I understand that your group's commander has already made first contact with the natives?" Marsh asked. The general's tone was incredibly neutral, betraying no signs of either irritation, or enthusiasm.

"Yes, sir; two soldiers went missing, and Captain Becker feared it may have been the result of actions by the natives, which was a correct assumption. He believed the best course of action would be to establish contact with the inhabitant's closest community, and explain their presence," Davis said.

"I see," replied Marsh.

"After Captain Becker met with the Mayor of the town, two princesses, who apparently lead the country, confronted Captain Ford and two other soldiers. Ford requested fire support to be made available, but the confrontation seemed to have gone well; Ford never needed any support, and the Princesses agreed to consider a meeting," Davis said, and Marsh simple sat there, silently.

"For the record, sir, I fully support Captain Becker's decision to make contact," Davis added, confidently.

Marsh sighed, and scratched his head. "Colonel, I agree that Captain Becker's decision was sound, but we weren't planning on first contact for weeks; months, even. This was supposed to be a long-term, low-profile surveillance mission so we could collect information to help us train a diplomat. As it stands now, we have precious little information about them, and absolutely no one trained to act as a diplomat."

"I understand, sir; we can request more time to prepare, I'm sure," Davis replied.

"I'm sure I don't need to remind you of what will need to be done should the negotiations for a base fail, Colonel," Marsh said.

Davis nodded solemnly. "I know, sir; the men were instructed to collect any information that could prove valuable in an armed conflict."

"Good; make sure your men also know to not get too friendly with the locals too soon," Marshall replied.

"They're aware, sir."

"Excellent," Marsh said, standing up from his chair, followed by Davis standing up from his. "I am needed elsewhere, Colonel, but I wish you good luck," the general said.

"Thank you, sir." Davis replied, and the general departed from his office.

The colonel sat back down; the meeting with the general had gone well, more or less, but that statement about armed conflict bothered Davis. He had known, of course, that all options for establishing a base were to be considered, but now the idea of invading this new world bothered him. All he could do was hope it wouldn't be necessary.

Davis got back to work, trying his best to clear his mind of the general's words.

* * *

Twilight Sparkle walked down one of Canterlot Castle's hallways, towards the throne room. Moonlight shone through the windows, reminding Twilight how late it was, and how busy her day had been. She had met the rest of Captain Beckers's men; the First Alternate Reality Group, they had called themselves. It was exciting to have Humans in Equestria, and Twilight privately hoped it could mean she'd be able to see the friends she had made at Canterlot High School while in the Human world, only this time without having to worry about the portal closing and trapping her in the Human world.

Applejack had agreed to let the Humans stay in tents at Sweet Apple Acres, perhaps because she and Big-Mac felt guilty for capturing Lieutenant Marshall and Corporal Jackson.

Now, Princess Celestia had requested that Twilight meet with her, and she could only guess it would be about the Humans. As she drew closer to the throne room, Twilight went over mental notes she had made about the Humans, which Princess Celestia might wish to know.

Twilight entered the room, and suddenly found she was unable to remember the points she had been thinking of only moments ago.

"Princess Twilight," Celestia said, upon seeing her. The torch light and the glow of the moon cast gave the room an ominous look to it, and Twilight couldn't help but be nervous.

"Princess Celestia," she said, approaching.

"Sit, Twilight." Celestia used one of her wings to indicate a chair for Twilight to take.

"Thank you," Twilight said.

"Twilight, what do you think of these Humans?" Celestia asked.

"I think they're friendly; they don't seem to have any hostile intentions towards us."

"And what of their leader, Captain Becker?"

"I think he's a good leader; his men seem to like him. And he kept a level head when we confronted him earlier," Twilight responded.

"Yes, Mayor Mare seemed to have a very similar opinion when I spoke to her earlier," Celestia said. "Is there anything you can tell me about Humans, Twilight?"

"No, Princess. I told you everything I found out as soon as I came back through the portal. I didn't have very much time to find out information about Humanity, even if I was in a library," Twilight replied.

"It's a shame you weren't able to study there longer," Celestia said.

Twilight thought for a moment, and gasped as a thought struck her. "Princess, I might not have had much time to study Humans, but I know of somepony who did! Somepony who's had ample time to learn about them, and what the rest of their world is like."

Celestia's look of curiosity turned to one of enlightenment as she realized who Twilight was talking about.

"Sunset Shimmer," Twilight boomed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors note: **The beginning here takes place right after the events of Chapter 4. Also, I'm starting school August 5th, so the chapter updates might be coming a little slower from now on.

**Chapter 5**

"Sunset Shimmer, Twilight? Are you sure that's a good idea?" Princess Celestia asked, remembering how Twilight detailed her encounter with Sunset Shimmer.

"I think it is, Princess Celestia; Sunset Shimmer can tell you much more about Humans than I can," Twilight replied.

"Yes, but is it safe to being her here?"

"Sunset Shimmer saw the error of her ways, Princess; she's willing to embrace friendship. Plus, the Humans will have to bring her through their rift; in her Human form, she has no magic," said Twilight.

Confident in Twilight's ability to assess the situation, Celestia nodded her head. "Very well then, Twilight; meet with the Humans tomorrow to arrange this."

"Yes, Princess," Twilight said. The two bowed to each other as a farewell, and Twilight turned to left the throne room, already making plans for Sunset Shimmer's arrival.

* * *

"Twilight," groaned Rainbow Dash, "why did you drag me out here so early?"

"Early? Rainbow, it's after nine o'clock" Twilight replied, receiving an icy stare from her friend. Rolling her eyes, Twilight said "I told you already, Rainbow, we're going to see the Humans." She, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie had all gathered together to trek over to the Human camp in Sweet Apple Acres.

"If you're making me come along on this, the least you could do is exempt me from the Wonderbolt's daily practice requirement," pleaded Dash.

"What? I can't do that," Twilight exclaimed.

"Uh, hello? You're a princess; you can do whatever you want! Including exempting your awesome best friend from practice requirements," Dash said, leaning her head close to Twilight and grinning expectantly.

"No," Twilight replied simply, turning her head away from Dash, who huffed and crossed her forelegs, using her wings to hover off the ground.

"C'mon Dashie; you should never miss out on an opportunity to meet new friends!" Pinkie Pie said energetically.

"You should never miss an opportunity to sleep, either," grumbled Rainbow Dash.

"I for one simply cannot wait to see the kind of inspiration I can draw on from their clothing," said Rarity, fantasizing about the exotic garments of dress she imagined beings of another world would possess.

"You've been awfully quiet, Fluttershy; is something on your mind?" asked Twilight.

"No," Fluttershy said, shaking her head. "I'm just a bit nervous, is all."

Of course, this had been the answer Twilight had expected. "Well, you don't need to be nervous about anything. I met them yesterday, and they all seemed very friendly," Twilight said.

Fluttershy nodded, and Twilight could tell she wasn't exactly reassured, but there wasn't too much Twilight could do about that.

Sweet Apple Acres came into view, and Twilight could make out the soldiers camp. It looked like a small village of tents, and Humans could be seen relaxing around it, or performing some minor task. As they drew closer, Twilight was able to make out faces. She identified Becker, Forman, and Marshall standing together, and directed her friends over to them.

Becker waved a greeting as they approached, and Twilight called out a greeting of her own. The three soldiers walked over to meet the group of ponies advancing towards them.

"Princess Twilight," said Captain Becker. "You brought friends."

"Yes; this is Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie," Twilight said, introducing each member of the group. "Girls, this is Captain Becker, Lieutenant Forman, and Lieutenant Marshall."

"I can't help but notice," said Rarity, grimacing, "your colors are very drab." She had heard the clothing was multi-colored, but this wasn't what she had pictured.

"Its camouflage…it _has_ to be drab" Forman replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Captain, can we talk?" Twilight asked.

"Sure; Forman, Marshall, show her friends around the camp," Becker said, and the two lieutenants lead the four ponies off to tour the small camp.

"Captain, we have someone we'd like you to bring over from your world," said Twilight.

"I assume by _we _you mean you and the other princess. Celestia, right?" asked Becker.

"Yes"

"Well, who is it you want us to get?"

"A unicorn named Sunset Shimmer; she crossed over into your reality through a portal in the Crystal Empire" said Twilight.

"Yes, you mentioned that portal yesterday; you said I should be a pony if I went through it, if I remember correctly."

"And ponies that cross through it become Humans. But like I said yesterday, it won't open again for another thirty moons, and we need Sunset Shimmer here as soon as possible," Twilight said.

"What's the rush?" Becker asked.

"We want Sunset Shimmer present before we begin the negotiations. She can help advise us on Human society, and at the same time, she's familiar with Equestria," Twilight explained.

Becker nodded, catching on. "And, you need to bring her through our rift, since your portal isn't open now."

"Exactly," Twilight said.

"It'll take a couple days to organize," Becker replied. "What's her name? Sunset Shimmer?"

"Yes; you can find her at Canterlot High School," Twilight informed him.

Becker let out a breath. "Hell…with a name like that, finding her shouldn't be too much of a problem. Anyway, if that's all, let's get back to your friends."

* * *

Forman, Marshall, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity were finished with the tour, and were sitting on logs that had been set up off to one side of the camp.

"This place could really do with some spicing up," Rarity remarked, observing how bland the campsite was.

"Yeah? What do you recommend?" Forman asked, turning his head towards her.

"How 'bout balloons!" shouted Pinkie.

"Balloons, huh?" Forman turned his head from Rarity to where Pinkie sat, and was quite surprised to see her holding up three balloons with her left hoof.

"And streamers!" Holding up her right hoof, Pinkie held a roll of streamers.

"Alright, go for it," Forman said, electing to humor her; three balloons and one roll of streamers shouldn't be too much of a problem to clean up. The lieutenant turned his attention to the ground in front of him when he heard the sound of something rapid whizzing by him. He looked towards the source, and noticed that Pinkie was no longer sitting on the log. In fact, she had completely vanished from his view.

"What the…?" wondered Forman; there was no way someone could move that fast. Looking in front of him, towards the camp, he saw a blur of pink moving across his field of vision leaving behind balloons and streamers attached to the tents. Before he could fully process what was happening, Pinkie Pie appeared back in front of him, with a huge grin plastered on her face.

The lieutenant pushed her head to the side, and his jaw dropped when he saw the camp. The original bleak and utilitarian style had been broken by dozens of brightly colored balloons and streamers that had been attached to tents and various other pieces of equipment.

"Well, I'll be…" exclaimed Marshall.

"All this place needed was a bit of pizzazz!" exclaimed Pinkie, apparently quite proud of her work.

"Pinkie, darling…no," Rarity said, grimacing at how much uglier the scenery was now. Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, was quite amused by Lieutenant Forman's reaction, and chuckled at his shock.

Forman's daze was broken by a booming voice from behind. "Lieutenant Forman, what the devil have you done to my camp?!"

Forman spun around, and saw Captain Becker returning with Twilight Sparkle. The lieutenant quickly tried to explain; unaware that Becker was only feigning irritation.

"It was her, sir," Forman said quickly, pointing at Pinkie Pie.

"Me? I would never," Pinkie said innocently. She could detect even the beginnings of a joke a mile away, and it was obvious to her one was about to be played on the lieutenant.

"What? No, it was you! Marshall, you saw it, right?" said Forman, calling on his friend to back his story up.

"Actually, I wasn't really paying attention," shrugged Marshall. "Could have been either one of 'em."

"Marshall!" barked Forman shrilly. "Sir, it was her!"

"Really, lieutenant; I didn't see her come in with any decorations," said Becker. In fact, he had witnessed Pinkie Pie decorating the campsite, but couldn't resist an opportunity to cause Forman some harmless discomfort.

"C'mon Lieutenant, fess up; we all saw it was you," Rainbow Dash said. She relished in the opportunity to play a joke on somepony, or in this case, somebody.

Forman opened his mouth, about to defend himself, when he noticed everybody was grinning at him. He crossed his arms and silently pouted, much to the amusement of the humans and ponies alike.

"Do you need help cleaning up, Captain?" Twilight asked. She figured if she used her magic, wouldn't be much of a chore to assist in tidying up the decorations.

"Nah, we'll leave 'em up," Becker replied. "It'd be a shame to let it all go to waste," he said, grinning at Pinkie.

Friendly interaction between the two species continued for the next couple of hours. At one point, Applejack took a short break from her chores to join in with the group's conversation. However, it was almost midday, and Twilight knew she and her friends had other responsibilities to attend to.

The Humans and Ponies said their farewells, and Twilight lead her friends back towards Ponyville. Once they had cleared the camp, Twilight asked the group a question. "So everypony, what did you think?"

"They're agreeable enough, I suppose," Rarity said. "Even if their décor is a bit…lackluster."

"Awesome!" Dash said, summing up her opinions in one word. The Pegasus had taken an almost instant liking to Humans. She was self-confident enough to not feel particularly threatened by them, and their mention of airplanes had fascinated her. She didn't care much about the engineering aspect of aircraft, but more the idea that wingless animals wanted to fly badly enough they created machines for it; those were her kind of people.

"Worth waking up for, Rainbow?" Twilight teased, remembering the Pegasus's irritation at being awoken.

"Totally; that look on Forman's face alone was worth it," Dash replied, giggling at the memory of it.

Twilight turned her head to look at Fluttershy. "You haven't said much," she said to her friend. "What do you think, Fluttershy?"

"Well, they seemed nice and all, but how do we know they're being honest?" asked the yellow Pegasus.

"I guess we don't know for absolute certain, but I'd have thought you'd be the first to give the benefit of the doubt, Fluttershy," said Twilight.

"I am willing to accept them as friends, Twilight, but it just feels like there's something more going on," Fluttershy explained.

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, dismissing her friend's behavior as just typical fear. "C'mon Fluttershy, quit worrying; that's Twilights job!"

"Rainbow!" shouted Twilight, through gritted teeth. Dash stuck out her tongue and then sped away, shaking a few leaves loose from trees as the whizzed by them. Twilight could try to give chase, of course, but there was no way she'd catch up to her friend. The princess merely shook her head, and tried to reassure Fluttershy.

"Rainbow's right, Fluttershy; I don't think there's anything to worry about. And besides," Twilight added with a smile, "they're camped out right next to Applejack; I'm sure that if they were lying, the wielder of The Element of Honesty would be all over them."

Fluttershy let out a small sigh. "You're probably right; I'm sure I'll get over it." She didn't sound sure though, and it continued to bother the Pegasus the entire trip back to her house.

* * *

Today, Colonel Davis was standing in the operations center, rather than his office. This room acted as a mission control for the First Alternate Reality Group personnel on the other side of the rift, and it was this center that had been assigned the call sign, _Mayflower_.

"Colonel Davis," a communications technician said. "We've just received a message from Captain Becker; he's requesting to be able to speak to you."

"Did he say what about?" the colonel asked.

"No, sir," replied the technician.

Davis nodded, and then picked up a phone sitting next to the technician.

"This is Colonel Davis; go ahead," said Davis. They were not speaking over radio, rather a secured two-way communications network, so the colonel abandoned the use of call signs. This line was used to communicate sensitive data, so it was certainly secure enough for names.

"Colonel, this is Captain Becker. I have a request from the Equestrian government, sir," said Becker.

"Oh? What might that be?" Equestria, Davis knew, was where the First Alternate Reality Group was currently located.

"They're asking that we bring a woman named Sunset Shimmer through our rift," said the captain.

"Any reason why?" asked Davis.

"Yes sir; there's a portal in some place called the Crystal Empire that opens every so often; it connects our reality and theirs, but if you go through it, you transform into the species that inhabits that world. In other words sir, if you went through from our side you'd be a pony, and if a pony goes through on their side, they become a Human. The princess I spoke to thinks it would be a good idea to bring her in to act like a consultant, since she's familiar with both societies" explained Becker.

"Valid reasoning," said the colonel. "Do they know where we might find her?"

"Yes sir; someplace called Canterlot High School. I don't know anything else."

Davis thought about the request; it made sense, and would probably be easy enough to accomplish. Plus, it would mean Equestria owed the United States a favor, and while favors weren't recognized legally, it could still prove to be advantageous. "Alright, Captain; tell them to consider it done. I'll keep you posted on its status; anything else?"

"No, sir; that's all I can think of."

"Good; Davis out."

The colonel set the phone down, and turned to his assistant. "Contact CID; patch the call in to my office," Davis ordered. As his aid went to carry out the order, the colonel returned to his office, preparing to organize the return of this Sunset Shimmer person through the rift.

* * *

"Captain, can I talk to you?" Becker looked up; Lieutenant Forman was standing at the opened entrance to his tent. The captain motioned for Forman to enter, and to take a seat.

"What's on your mind, Lieutenant?" asked Captain Becker.

"Sir, have you considered that our interaction with the Equestrians was a bad idea?" asked the lieutenant.

"I assume you mean the friendly get-together we had earlier."

"Yes, sir; we were cautioned about making friends with them before the treaty talks finish. There's a chance we might be in a conflict with them," Forman pointed out.

Becker nodded his head; he had been expecting Forman might point this out sooner or later. "I see your concern, Lieutenant; but I want armed conflict to be our last resort."

"I do too, sir; I don't see what that has to do with making friends, though," said Forman.

"Whether you realize it or not, we, the members of the First Alternate Reality Group, could have a pretty big impact on how those treaty talks turn out. As the first men to make contact with the Equestrians, it seems likely we'll have some influence once talks begin. Seems to me if we're friends with the natives, we'll have that much more of a reason to make things work between our countries, and the same will be true for them," Becker explained.

"Valid point, sir; a rather large risk though, don't you think?"

"The United Kingdom's Special Air Service has a saying, Lieutenant; _who dares, wins_. Only time will tell if this was the right risk to take, but the rewards will be substantial if it is," Becker said.

"I see, sir; let's hope you're right," Foreman replied.

"C'mon, Lieutenant, have some faith. Besides, we aren't violating orders, just disregarding a recommendation," Becker pointed out, and the lieutenant seemed to relax slightly.

"I suppose you have to take risks to win a battle, sir," Forman conceded.

"That's the spirit; be willing to go out and make some new friends, Lieutenant," the captain said.

Forman stood up from his seat, and left the tent. He reflected on what the captain told him, and balanced risk against reward. Finally coming to a decision, the lieutenant began walking out of the camp, and towards Ponyville.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

It was a gray dreary morning. A light rain fell from the clouds above and formed shallow puddles along the road in front of Canterlot High School. There was little activity that morning, save for a few students shuffling along the sidewalk, and the two occupants of a black SUV, keeping watch on the school.

"Sunset Shimmer; what sort of name is that?" asked CI agent Sergeant Malcolm, one of the vehicles occupants. He set down the photo of her they'd been issued, and took a sip of bold coffee.

"The name of our suspect, Sergeant," replied another agent, Captain Sherrod.

"She's suspected of what, sir?" inquired the sergeant.

"Espionage, or so I'm told. This investigation was ordered by some group known simply as Unit Composition 340," answered Sherrod. Unit Composition 340, often abbreviated UC340, was the codename used by the U.S. Alternate Reality Command. It referred to the original group of 340 personnel that had been brought together to investigate the rift. The group had grown significantly in the past eight months, but the original number stuck.

Malcolm nodded an acknowledgement, and after another minute or so, broke the silence again. "So…what's with these skin tones? I've been seeing green, teal and even purple."

"Skin dyes," Sherrod said, letting out a chuckle.

"Skin dyes?" repeated Malcolm, totally lost.

"It's like hair dye, but for your skin," Sherrod replied, raising a pair of binoculars to his eyes. "Apparently, it's rather popular here."

"Skin dye…incredible," Malcolm sighed, expressing his distaste for the trend.

"Hey, to each his own, right?" Sherrod said philosophically.

"Yeah, I guess," Malcolm answered, raising his own binoculars. Scanning the horizon, he spotted their target. "Is that her sir?" he asked, pointing towards a distant group of approaching students. Sherrod looked through his own binoculars. "Yep, that's her." Grabbing a radio, he sent a message to the rest of the unit. "Target sighted; standby to move in on my command."

* * *

"This weather is simply dreadful!" Rarity exclaimed, holding her backpack above her head in a futile attempt to shield herself from the rain.

"No kidding; I'd give anything to be able to change it," Rainbow Dash said in agreement. Sunset Shimmer, who had been walking along with them, said nothing, and an awkward silence fell over the group. Rarity and Dash exchanged glances, and then Dash tried to bring Sunset Shimmer into the conversation.

"So, Sunset, uh…how's the clean-up going?" she asked. Sunset Shimmer had been required to assist in cleaning up parts of the damaged school. She couldn't do much construction since she lacked the necessary qualifications, so until a crew could get to the school, the hole in the entrance had been hastily patched up with a temporary barrier consisting of mostly plywood.

"It's going well; Principal Celestia has been exceptionally kind to me, and so have all of you," Sunset Shimmer replied.

"Anything for a friend," Dash replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

Before Sunset could reply, a new voice from behind said "Does it feel like we're being watched?"

The three friends turned around, and saw nothing. They looked at each other, and shrugged. Turning back around, they saw Pinkie Pie standing in front of them, staring intently down the road.

"Pinkie? How did you…ah, never mind," Dash muttered.

"What was that about being watched, dear?" inquired Rarity.

"A feeling that we're being watched!" Pinkie replied, which prompted Rarity and Dash to take a look around; Pinkie's _feelings_ were known to be surprisingly accurate. However, seeing nothing of particular interest, Dash shrugged at Sunset. "Ignore her," she said, and the four students arrived in front of the large high school.

"Look!" shouted Pinkie, pointing at something in the distance. The other three girls looked out in the direction she had indicated, and saw a column of sinister looking black SUVs pulling out from their hiding places around a corner. As the vehicles drew closer, blue and red lights illuminated from behind their windshields and grilles.

"My goodness; what is it?" Rarity asked.

"Trouble," gulped Dash.

The vehicles slowed to a halt in front of the school, and men wearing body armor and carrying rifles exited them. They fixed their attention on the four students in front of them; their weapons weren't pointed at the girls, but they weren't lowered towards the ground either.

"Sunset Shimmer," one of them, clearly the leader, said. It was a statement, not a question.

"Y-yes?" she stammered nervously.

"I'm Captain Sherrod; we're with Army Counterintelligence. You need to come with us," he ordered.

"Whoa, hold up! What's going on?" demanded Dash, taking a step forward. "You with _who_, now?"

"The U.S. Army's Counter Intelligence; we're federal agents, and we're here for Miss Sunset Shimmer," repeated Sherrod.

"Oh yeah? Well, you're going to have to go through us to get her!" Dash yelled back, but Sunset Shimmer put a restraining hand on her shoulder. "No, Rainbow," Sunset said simply.

"No? What do you mean no? We're your friends; we aren't letting these guys take you anywhere!" protested Dash.

"I can't ask my friends to put themselves in harm's way for me; especially when I haven't done anything to deserve it. I'll be okay, Rainbow," Sunset said. Then she looked at the agents; "I'll go with you," she said, and Sherrod nodded an acknowledgement.

Dash felt totally useless as she watched her friend walk forward towards the CI agents.

"What's going on?" someone asked Rainbow. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Applejack approaching, with Fluttershy following behind.

"Some federal stooges are here arresting Sunset," growled Dash.

"Arresting her? For what?" Applejack demanded to know; surely they weren't aware of her true identity.

"She's suspected of espionage," Sherrod replied. That much had been in the file given to him, but he didn't know any more of the case details; Composition 340 would be handling things after her arrest.

Rainbow Dash looked blankly at him, unfamiliar with the word.

"Spying," clarified Rarity.

"You think she's a spy?" asked Dash. However, she was growing slightly worried; what if Sunset's identity was known to them? What kind of trouble could she be in?

Sherrod was out of patience for questions; "I've said all I will," he said, and then he found his second-in-command. "Supervise; I'll go inform the school administration."

Captain Sherrod walked past the group of five friends, and into the school. The sight of an armed man bearing police markings drew attention from nervous onlookers, who made sure to give the captain a wide berth to move through.

Within a couple of minutes, Sherrod had located the principal's office. He knocked sharply on the wooden doorframe and without waiting, opened the door and barged into the office.

Startled, Principal Celestia looked up from the paperwork on her desk. "Can I help you?" she asked, regaining her composure.

"You're the principal?" Sherrod asked.

"That's correct," Celestia replied.

"I'm Captain Sherrod; Counterintelligence special agent." He flashed his credentials at her.

"Can I help you, Captain?" Celestia asked, clearly confused.

"No, ma'am; I'm here to inform you that one of your students, Sunset Shimmer, has been taken into custody," Sherrod said.

"Sunset Shimmer? Why; on what charges?"

"Espionage," said Sherrod, simply.

"Espionage? Have you informed her parents?" asked Celestia.

"We tried, but we weren't able to locate them. In fact, we can't find a birth certificate, social security number, or any other indication Miss Shimmer is even a citizen of this country," the captain replied.

"Captain, I do not believe Sunset Shimmer is the threat you're making her out to be," said Celestia.

"I'm not the one that considers her a threat; this task was directed by a different department," Sherrod told her.

"What department?"

"Some group called Unit Composition 340; I doubt you've heard of them," replied Sherrod.

Indeed, Celestia had not heard of them, but she had heard of government groups that went by enigmatic sounding names; Imperial Japan's Unit 731 during World War II, the Chinese 610 Office. Often times, the work undertaken by those groups was less than admirable. It seemed that the United States had developed such a group and now she feared for the safety of Sunset Shimmer.

"Captain, please believe me; you don't know what you're getting involved with," pleaded the principal.

"You're right; I've got no clue what I'm getting involved with, so if you've got any information to offer, it'd be appreciated," replied Sherrod.

Celestia said nothing.

"Yeah," sighed Sherrod; "I didn't think so."

With nothing more to say, Captain Sherrod attempted to terminate the conversation. "If you'll excuse me, we really need to be going."

"I'll show you out," Celestia said.

"Good idea; there are some of your students out front, friends of Miss Shimmer I guess, that you might want to give some reassuring to," Sherrod suggested.

The two left the office, and began to make their way back to the front of the school. As they walked down the halls, Captain Sherrod took in the surroundings.

"Something interesting you, Captain?" Celestia asked, noticing how he was scanning the hallways and classrooms.

"My high school looked pretty much the same when I was there over 15 years ago. Remarkable how they haven't changed much," commented the captain.

"We'd need money to change; you seem to be the one with all of that, nowadays."

Sherrod shrugged. "We're in an arms race with the Chinese; the defense budget is bound to receive priority."

"I just hope the world survives another arms race, Captain," said Celestia icily.

Sherrod sighed inwardly; he could see where this conversation was headed, and he had no interest in a political debate. He saw the patchwork covering the front entrance, and tried to change the topic.

"Nasty hole; how'd that happen?" asked the captain, and Principal Celestia was slightly surprised; if he didn't know Sunset Shimmer had done the damage, then it would seem he really was unaware of her identity.

"A driver lost control of his vehicle and rammed the entrance," Celestia replied. It had been the official cover story she and her sister had devised.

"That must have been some collision; it looks more likely damage from explosives," Sherrod said.

"I wouldn't know anything about explosives," Celestia answered, and Sherrod shook his head. "No, I suppose you wouldn't," he remarked.

The pair exited the building, and Sherrod pointed at Dash, Rarity, Pinkie, Applejack, and Fluttershy. "You might want to talk to them; looks like Miss Shimmer was one of their friends." Celestia nodded confirmation, and one last thought struck Sherrod.

"It's not really my place, but I'm surprised how lenient you are towards skin and hair dye," said the captain. Celestia, however, didn't seem to understand. "Dye?" she asked.

"Well, yeah; a good number of your students are using it; looks like you've even taken to it yourself."

Much to the captain's surprise, Celestia shook her head. "I assure you; no one is using dye."

"What? Of course they are; those aren't natural colors," protested Sherrod. However, before Celestia could entertain the conversation any further, she was called away by Applejack.

"Excuse me; I need to tend to my students," she said, moving away. Sherrod's eyes followed her, a dumbfounded expression on his face. He shook his head, and returned to the convoy, signaling to his men it was time to leave. He walked down the row of black vehicles, noticing Sunset Shimmer as he passed by the SUV she was in. Certainly, she didn't look like much of a spy, but Sherrod knew not to trust looks.

Moving along, he got back into his lead vehicle. He made a _forward_ gesture to Sergeant Malcolm, and the SUV broke away from the curb, followed by the rest of the column. As quickly as the agents had arrived, they were gone.

* * *

"Captain Becker?"

Becker turned his head towards the source of the noise; it was Twilight Sparkle.

"Princess," he greeted her with a slight incline of his head.

"Can you tell me anything about Sunset Shimmer?" asked the princess. It had been several days since she had made the request, and she was curious about its status.

"I just received confirmation that counterintelligence special agents picked her up from Canterlot High School; they'll be dropping her off at Joint Base Ingram, and she'll be moved to the rift site," Becker replied.

"How long until she's here, do you think?" asked Twilight.

"Tomorrow, most likely; I'll send Lieutenant Forman to escort her in," said Becker.

"Captain, would it be possible for me to go to your rift site and see Sunset before she crosses back to Equestria?" Twilight asked. She was hoping to explain the situation to Sunset as soon as possible.

"I'll have to clear it with command first, but I'll see what I can do. Once Forman gets back, I'll let him know to expect you," Becker said.

"He isn't here at the camp?"

"Not at the moment; he's in Ponyville. He's been spending a good bit of time there, lately," replied Becker.

"Now that you mention it, I have seen him around pretty often," Twilight remarked.

"Sight-seeing, I suppose," shrugged Becker. "Anyway, I'll go see if I can clear your request with command," he said, walking to the communications tent."

"Thank you, Captain; let me know when you know something," Twilight said. She spotted Applejack nearby, and since it would probably take more than a few minutes for Becker to clear her visit, she decided to trot over to her friend.

"Hey Applejack!" called the princess.

"Howdy, Twilight," replied the farmer. "Something I can do for ya'?

"Nothing, thanks; how are you doing?"

"I'm doin' fine," Applejack replied cheerfully. "What brings ya' out to Sweep Apple Acres?"

"I came out to ask Captain Becker a question; remember when I told you about Sunset Shimmer? They're going to bring her back to Equestria, and I wanted to be at their rift to see her."

"What'd he tell ya?"

"He's going to have to make sure it's okay with his commander," Twilight said.

"Why wouldn't it be?" asked Applejack.

"The rift is a big government secret for them," Twilight explained. "Only authorized personnel can cross through."

Applejack shrugged as if she didn't see what the big deal was; like many Equestrians, she wasn't particularly familiar with the concept of government secrets, or operation security protocols. "Well, looks like Captain Becker has an answer for ya'." The farmer pointed towards the U.S. camp, where Becker was exiting the communications tent.

"Alright; I'll see you later, Applejack," Twilight said.

"See ya', Twi," her friend replied. Twilight trotted back over to where the captain stood.

"What'd they say?" the princess asked.

"It's been approved," said Becker. "However, you're only cleared for hanger containing the rift; no touring the rest of the base, yet" he added with a shrug. This was all fine with Twilight; she had only wanted to welcome Sunset back to Equestria. "Be here at the camp at 0600 hours."

"Yes Captain; thank you."

* * *

The next morning, Twilight trotted into the camp. The air was still cool from the night before, and the first rays of sun were beginning to poke out from behind distant hills. A small group of soldiers stood in a cleared out area, among them Lieutenant Forman, and much to Twilight's surprise, Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow? Are you going with us?" Twilight asked as she drew close to the group.

"I'm here to see one of those airplanes Forman was talking about," Dash replied.

"An airplane?"

"More of a tilt-rotor turboprop, really; it'll be our ride to the rift site," Forman explained. "It should be here in just a few minutes." Sure enough, several minutes later, Twilight's ears detected a noise totally unfamiliar; to her, it sounded as if something was rapidly beating against her eardrums, growing stronger with every second that passed. The sound became more and more powerful, until finally, a flying grey object emerged from behind the trees.

As the aircraft drew closer and decreased its speed to a hover, the princess looked at Forman, who had pushed goggles over his eyes, and was signaling Twilight to close her eyes. Not a moment too soon she shut her eyes, and felt dirt kicked up by the rotor-wash impacting her eyelids.

Twilight remembered how Forman had described aircraft; flying carts with wings. This description, Twilight thought, was barely adequate. It failed to capture to enormity of the sound and wind generated by the vehicle. The roar of the engines was all she could hear, and her hair was thrown about wildly.

After a moment, the sound wind began to die down as the power to the engines was cut. Twilight felt it was safe to open her eyes again, and get a good look at this vehicle; two large fans connected to the body of the aircraft by pylons. At the front of the vehicle, two Humans sat behind glass panels, and the craft was resting on wheels that extended out from the underbelly.

"A V-22 Osprey" Forman said. Twilight guessed that must be its name.

"That's what Humans fly around in?" asked Twilight

"It's one of the things we fly, yes."

"How fast is it?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Why don't you asked the pilot," Forman said, gesturing towards the helicopter where several airmen were exiting the helicopter. They looked in amazement at the Pegasus and Alicorn, and made their way over to Forman, who took notice of their rank insignias; a pair of second lieutenants, his immediate juniors. They exchanged salutes, and one of the pilots spoke up.

"Sir, they have wings," he said, motioning with his head towards Twilight and Dash.

"That they do, lieutenant; and one of them has a magical horn," Forman replied.

The two pilots exchanged glances. "They briefed us on what to expect, but…" he trailed off, and Forman nodded understandingly. "Still kind of a shock, huh? The rainbow haired on, though, is very interested in your aircraft," he said, indicating Rainbow Dash. Once again, the two men exchanged glances, and wandered over to where Dash stood.

"Dash really came out here just to see your airplane?" Twilight asked Forman.

"Yeah, she sure did. I'll be surprised if she doesn't ask to race it," Forman said.

Rainbow Dash did, in fact, request to race against the aircraft. Forman, however, informed her that this wasn't the best time for such an event; later on, perhaps. Ultimately, Rainbow did follow the vehicle for a short period after takeoff. The soldiers did their best to get Twilight reasonable secure and comfortable in her seat, and the pilots had assured her they would avoid any aggressive maneuvering.

The princess heard the sound of the engines starting through the headset she had been given, followed by the sensation of rising up through the air. Her ears popped as the helicopter ascended through the air. Cramming her neck, Twilight was able to look out the view-port behind her, and saw that they were cruising above the Everfree Forest.

"Hang tight back there; we're beginning our descent," buzzed a voice over the intercom. The helicopter began to drop its altitude until it was soaring just above the canopy of trees.

"Here we go," Forman said, right before they passed through the rift. Twilight expected to feel some indication they had traveled between realities, but much to her surprise, there was nothing. The only time she felt anything was when the helicopter touched down inside the hanger.

The cargo ramp dropped down, and Forman helped Twilight with her seat-belt. The small group shuffled out of the helicopter, and Twilight took in her surroundings. They were in a huge room, bigger than any she'd ever been in before. An assortment of Human vehicles occupied one corner of the building. As Twilight scanned the other end of the hanger, she saw a group of humans. Concentrating on the distant figures, she saw one very familiar profile; Red and yellow hair, knee high boots, an orange skirt, and a black jacket. Sunset Shimmer.


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors note: **If you see any spelling errors, feel free to contact me over PM and point them out. The guy that used to help me with editing is too busy at the moment. Thanks for reading.

**Chapter 7**

Sunset Shimmer watched as the gray helicopter descended through what appeared to be a large hole in the side of the massive hanger. She had yet to receive explanation as to why she had been brought to the base, and therefore was totally unaware about the rift connecting the two realities, but when the occupants of the aircraft disembarked, she saw a purple pony standing among the humans.

"Twilight?" she asked herself. Sunset had only seen Twilight briefly, and she couldn't be sure at this distance, but it certainly looked like Twilight Sparkle.

"Get in," one of the soldiers escorting her ordered, pointing at a Humvee. Sunset opened the door and sat down on one of the rear passenger seats, next to an MP. Her vehicle and one other started their engines, and made their way down towards the helicopter.

* * *

Twilight watched the approaching vehicles, feeling anxiety build up inside her as they drew closer. What if Sunset didn't want to come back to Equestria? If she refused, would they end up taking her against her will?

Twilight took a deep breath as the Humvees slowed to a halt. Sunset exited from the vehicle along with the rest of the soldiers. She and Twilight locked eyes, and Sunset called out "Twilight? Is that you?"

"Yes Sunset; it's me," Twilight said, and Sunset looked relieved. However, it was soon replaced by a look of confusion.

"Why are you here, Twilight," asked Sunset. "

"I'm here to take you back to Equestria, Sunset," Twilight told her.

"Why?" asked Sunset. She was worried this may be some sort of plot for revenge.

Seeing her obvious concern, Twilight quickly reassured her. "It's nothing bad; I'll explain it soon when we have more time."

Sunset nodded, and hesitated. "How can we get back to Equestria, Twilight?"

Twilight drew in a breath, about to explain, when she saw Forman tapping his watch, signaling that they needed to be leaving. Instead of offering a long winded explanation, the princess instead said "I'll explain everything on the way; have a seat in…that thing." Twilight nodded towards the V-22, forgetting its name. One of Forman's soldiers escorted Sunset inside, while the lieutenant himself called for Twilight, beckoning her over to where he stood with another man.

"Twilight, this is Colonel Davis; he's the commander for all operations involving the rift. Colonel, this is Princess Twilight Sparkle, one of four ruling Equestrian princesses," Forman said, introducing the pair.

"Princess," Davis said, and briefly inclined his head towards her. It was a respectful greeting, she realized, but not exactly a bow. Nevertheless, it didn't particularly bother her, and she smiled back at the man. "Colonel Davis," she said in acknowledgement.

"I hope my men haven't caused you any trouble," Davis said.

Twilight shook her head. "No, they haven't caused us problems," she said, then remembered the fiasco that occurred the first day they arrived. "Well, too many problems," she amended.

"Good," Davis said. "Anyway, you should probably be on your way."

"Yes, sir," Forman replied. He and Twilight returned to the helicopter. Everyone had buckled themselves in and was only waiting on the lieutenant and the princess. When they were secure in their seats, the pilots started the engines and taxied the aircraft around to face the rift.

"Alright Sunset," Twilight said, to gain the attention of the unicorn-turned-human. "Let me fill you in on what's happening," she began, before delving into the details of the present situation.

The vehicle lifted off into the air and flew out through the rift. After exiting the confines of the hanger, the helicopter picked up speed and soon disappeared from the sigh of any observers watching from the hanger.

* * *

"Let me help you with that."

Applejack looked up from the barrels of apples she was in the process of rolling up a ramp and into a cart and saw Lieutenant Marshall standing a meter or so away from her.

"Thank ya', but I don't need any help," Applejack said, and turned her attention back to the barrels.

Marshall however, was not to be dissuaded. "I insist," the lieutenant persisted, walking over to one of the barrels. "After all, you are letting us stay here effectively free of charge."

Applejack rolled her eyes and grumbled. "Fine," she relented, and Marshall grabbed both ends up a barrel. Grunting, he lifted it up over the side of the cart rather than roll it up the ramp.

"You're a curious one, lieutenant; I had y'all tied up in a barn, and now here ya' are trying to help," Applejack remarked.

Marshall only shrugged; "I don't hold grudges against people who violently assault me," the lieutenant said with a grin. It wasn't necessarily true; he didn't harbor any ill-will towards Applejack since it was obviously a misunderstanding, and he preferred to nonchalantly dismiss the issue.

Applejack wasn't quite sure if he was serious or not, but it appeared he saw the incident as irrelevant. She rolled another barrel into the cart, and Marshall surveyed the orchard trees.

"You've sure got a lot of apples; what do you do with 'em all?"

"Sell 'em, bake 'em, make cider, eat 'em raw, just about everything you can do with apples," she told him. "This cart here's headed for the market in Ponyville."

"Do you grow anything other than apples?" Marshall asked.

"'Course we do," said Applejack. "We've got grapes, corn, carrots, heck we even get zap apples. We also raise cows and chickens."

Marshall nodded; he had seen some of the farms animals. Applejack rolled the final barrel into the cart, and let out a sigh of satisfaction. "Whelp; looks that that's the last of 'em; thanks for the help."

"My pleasure," Marshall said, and then tilted his head as he heard the sound of a helicopters rotors beating against the air. "And there's Forman; they must be about to land. If you don't need anything further, I think I'll be off." The lieutenant touched two fingers to his forehead in an informal salute, and Applejack responded by tipping her hat. Then, the two were heading their separate ways, Applejack into Ponyville, and Marshall back towards the landing zone.

* * *

The V-22 returning from the rift site touched down at the landing zone. This time, however, the engines remained on, and after the passengers had cleared from the area, it was descending back into the air and on its way back towards the rift.

Once the dust had settled, Sunset Shimmer looked around her. It had been years since she had set foot in Equestria, aside from when she came to the castle in the Crystal Empire to steal Twilight's crown.

Somebody said her name, breaking Sunset out of her daze. Twilight was waving at her, obviously trying to get her attention. "Oh…sorry, Twilight; I was just…"

Twilight nodded, indicating she understood. The princess could only imagine how it must feel to return after spending so many years away. "I was saying you can spend the night with me in Ponyville, and we'll catch the morning train to Canterlot."

Sunset inhaled sharply when she heard the name _Canterlo_t; her former home. _Her_ Canterlot; not the Human town in which she had taken up residence, but the city and castle she had grown up in. And at the castle, she knew, would be Princess Celestia. A chill went through her as the thought about facing the princess after her obvious betrayal. If she would be in Canterlot tomorrow, this would be a very short day, indeed.

"If you have any questions for us, now would be the best time to ask," Forman said. Sunset guessed that _us_ meant the soldiers, and she shook her head. She wasn't particularly comfortable around them, although Twilight seemed to regard them as friends.

"Very well," Forman said, picking up a backpack and handing it to her. "There's some clean clothing in there, a toothbrush, some toothpaste, and a bar of soap."

Twilight nodded an awkward thanks, and peered inside. Much to her relief, she had been given civilian clothing, although it was a bit dull; several pairs of socks, sneakers, a few green t-shirts, beige shorts, and a belt.

"Rather than try to guess what size clothing you wear, we just had someone pick up shorts and a belt," Forman explained, and once again drew nothing more than a brief nod out of Sunset, who was looking at the approaching form of Lieutenant Marshall.

"So, this is our ex-unicorn?" he asked once he reached the small group.

Twilight nodded. "Sunset Shimmer, this is Lieutenant Marshall."

"Hello," the lieutenant said, and Sunset waved a greeting. It was obvious to Twilight she wasn't at ease, and decided to try and spare her any further discomfort.

"If that's all, I think we'll be off," Twilight said.

Forman and Marshall exchanged glances and shrugged. "Captain Becker might want to talk to you later; I assume we can reach you at the library?" asked Forman.

Twilight nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow morning at the train station, Lieutenant."

"See you," Forman said, ending the conversation. While Twilight trotted off with Sunset, he and Lieutenant Marshall watched them go. Once they were out of earshot, Forman leaned his head towards Marshall. "You think she might try to escape?" he asked, referencing Sunset Shimmer.

"Guess it's possible," Marshall replied. "Think we should keep an eye on her?"

"Probably; _we_ have to report to Captain Becker though," Forman said, looking around for someone who would be free to carry out the task. "Garnet, Jackson," Forman called out the names of two nearby soldiers, and beckoned them over.

"Yes, sir?" they asked after hurrying over.

"I need you two to keep an eye on Sunset Shimmer; make sure she doesn't try to run off, or cause any other trouble," Forman instructed. "Grab your surveillance gear before you go."

"Yes, sir" the men answered, and ran off to grab their equipment.

* * *

"So Sunset, how are things with you?" Twilight asked, trying to make conversation.

"Not bad," Sunset said. "Well…other than being held for a couple days at a military base," she added with a smile to show there were no hard feelings about it.

"Ha-ha…sorry about that," Twilight said, rubbing the back of her head and averting her eyes.

Sunset merely shrugged. "It's fine." She was more open to conversation now that she wasn't surrounded by soldiers.

"So…how long have those soldiers been here," Sunset asked.

"Not long; maybe a week and a half, two weeks at the most," Twilight replied. "Why?"

"No reason; just curious."

After a few moments of awkward silence, Twilight tried to change the subject. "So…have you ever visited Ponyville?"

Sunset shook her head; "No, I spent most of my time in Canterlot."

"Well, I'm sure you'll see some familiar faces while you here," Twilight said as they entered the town.

Sunset raised an eyebrow, and Twilight chuckled. "C'mon; I'll show you around," she said, leading her towards Sugar Cube Corner.

* * *

Corporal Garnet lifted a pair of binoculars to his eyes and observed the movements of Sunset Shimmer. He and Corporal Jackson had trailed them from the farm to the town, always making sure to keep visual contact with them while remaining far enough away to prevent detection.

"Is she making a run for it yet?" Jackson asked, eager for details.

"No; just like the last time to asked me," Garnet replied with a huff.

"Don't get pissy; I want to know what's going on down there, and you've got the only good pair of binoculars!" Jackson exclaimed.

Garnet said nothing, and went back to silently observing the pair.

Jackson sat in silence for a few brief moments, and then piped up again. "What's she doing? Is she causing any trouble?"

Garnet sighed and handed the binoculars to Jackson. "Looks like they're going into a bakery."

"A bakery?" Jackson asked, fine-tuning the focus for his eyes.

"A bakery," Forman repeated. "Sugar Cube Corner."

* * *

Sunset followed Twilight through the door and into Sugar Cube Corner. The interior was wood and the walls were covered with candy-themed decorations. A counter stood in the middle of the room, and behind it there was a pink Earth Pony who looked vaguely familiar.

"Hi ya', Twilight!" she called out, waving a hoof in the air.

Sunset's mouth puckered in concentration; she _knew_ that voice. After a moment or so, realization dawned on her and she cast a surprised look towards Twilight "Is that…?"

"Pinkie Pie," Twilight confirmed.

* * *

"I wish we had brought along a parabolic dish, or something; that way we could hear what's going on in there," said Garnet. The binoculars were back in his hands, and he had been observing the bakery almost non-stop.

"I wish we had brought another pair of binoculars. That way I could see what's going on down there," Jackson grumbled. Garnet rolled his eyes and handed Jackson the binoculars, who took them eagerly. "Yeah, you're right," Jackson admitted. "It would be nice to be able to hear what's going on."

"Maybe we should get closer?" suggested Garnet, rising off his belly and onto one knee.

"Wait! Don't move; they're coming out," Jackson warned. If Garnet continued to rise, it might draw their attention, despite the distance and camouflage.

* * *

Twilight, Sunset, and Pinkie had all exited the bakery. With the introductions concluded, the three were saying their farewells.

They're on the move again," Garnet said as Twilight and Sunset began walking down the road.

"Let's get after 'em, then," Jackson replied. Before they got a chance to leave their position on the hill though, they heard a voice behind them call out "Hey! What are you two doing here?"

Lying on their bellies, they had to cram their necks around to look behind them. Much to their surprise though, there wasn't a single person or pony in sight. The corporals exchanged confused glances when they heard the voice again. "Up here!"

They looked up and saw Rainbow Dash sitting stop a tree-branch. A pillow sat at the right angle created where the branch met the trunk.

Garnet racked his brain for a response. Flattery is a good tactic, he thought. He'd try that. "We were…looking for you!" he exclaimed, breaking into a grin.

"Me?" asked Dash, confused.

"Well, yeah," Garnet replied. "Lieutenant Forman ordered us to find you; he said he wanted to talk to the fastest flyer in all of Equestria."

"Forman wants to see the fastest flyer in all of Equestria, huh?" she asked, grinning. "Well then, he's come to the right place!" she exclaimed proudly, buffing out her chest while levitating midair.

"He's back at camp; you should get over there. Whatever it was, it sounded urgent," said Garnet. Rainbow was off in a flash, headed towards the camp at Sweet Apple Acres.

"Did you really think it was the best idea Forman wanted to talk to her? Now she's going to try and find him, expecting some sort of job," Jackson said.

Garnet shrugged. "It was the best I could come up with. C'mon, we should get going."

Garnet began walking down the hill and Jackson hurried after him. "Do you think we should let Forman know she'll be coming?"

"Probably," Garnet said, grabbing his radio.

* * *

"Here we are, Sunset; Golden Oak Library. Home sweet home." Twilight announced as they arrived at her home.

"You live in a library?" asked Sunset.

"There's a bedroom upstairs," Twilight explained. "Besides, when I was at Canterlot High, I slept _on_ books."

Sunset grimaced; that didn't sound particularly comfortable.

"Well, let me show you inside," said Twilight, opening the door and proceeding in after Sunset.

"Spike!" Twilight called, and a few seconds later the dragon appeared. He crossed his arms and fixed Sunset with an icy stare; he still wasn't particularly thrilled about what had happened back in the Human world.

"Sunset Shimmer is going to stay with us tonight," she told him. He nodded and glared at Sunset before backing out of the room.

"He seemed to be in a good mood," Sunset said.

"I'm sure he'll come around; c'mon, let's get you settled in.

* * *

Lieutenant Forman sighed and set down his radio.

"Good news?" Marshall asked, walking over to him.

"Rainbow Dash caught Garnet and Jackson tailing Shimmer. They managed to deflect her suspicions, but now she's on her way here because she thinks I want to talk to her," Forman reported.

"What are you gonna tell her when she gets here?"

"I don't know," admitted Forman. "Any ideas? We probably don't have very long until she arrives."

"Nope; none," Marshall said cheerfully and began to walk off.

"Where the hell are you going?" demanded Forman.

"I'm getting out of here; I don't want to be anywhere near her when she finds out you didn't really want to talk to her," Marshall replied. "Good luck."

Before Forman could reply, he heard a _whooshing_ sound. There was only one thing he could think that would be making that sound; Rainbow Dash. Forman turned towards it, and sure enough he could see the blue Pegasus rapidly approaching.

As she drew closer, Dash didn't show any signs of slowing down. With her now at an alarmingly close distance, Forman took a step backwards, and braced for an impact that never came; seconds before collision, and with enormous effort on her part, Dash slowed herself to a halt, hovering a meter or so away from the lieutenant.

Most likely a stunt to show off her flying, Forman thought to himself.

"Rainbow Dash, reporting as ordered!" she barked enthusiastically, trying to copy military stereotype. "Corporal Garnet said you needed me for something?"

"Right," said Forman, his mind racing. "I wanted to see how fast you could get down here, before you…get entered into the race."

"What?! C'mon, I was napping! You woke me up just for that?" Dash exclaimed, and then paused a moment. "Wait…what race?"

"The race against our helicopter, of course," said Forman, remembering her apparent interest in having a race against it. "I needed to get you down here to have you fill out some information, and display some of your flight abilities to make sure you're qualified."

"What kind of abilities?" asked Dash. She relished in an opportunity to show off to a willing audience.

"Well…see that tall hill over there?" Forman asked, and pointed towards the landmark; Dash nodded. "I want you to fly there and back, as fast as you can. On the count of three; one-two-three-go!" shouted Forman, and Dash soared off. As Dash flew towards the hill, Forman desperately looked for something else to have her do. He sighed; he was going to have to get creative.

* * *

Garnet and Jackson were, once again, in position to perform surveillance on Sunset Shimmer. They had climbed onto the roof of a building to get a good vantage point to observe Twilight's house, where she and Sunset were currently located.

"You think Forman managed to deal Rainbow Dash yet?" asked Jackson.

Garnet shrugged. "Probably." He peered at the library through the binoculars.

"See anything?" asked Jackson.

"Nope," Garnet replied.

Jackson was silent for a few seconds. "Think she might try to climb out a window?"

Garnet, however, scoffed at the idea. "In those boots she was wearing? There's no way."

Jackson nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, good point. What's with those, anyway? They look really uncomfortable."

"Maybe they're supposed to be easy to get on and off?" Garnet suggested.

Jackson sighed. "I dunno…I really don't get women's fashion." With no new statements to add, the conversation died, and the two men were left, once again, in silence.

"So…" Jackson began, trying to find something to talk about. "See anything?"

* * *

"Quite a display."

Lieutenant Forman turned his head and saw Captain Becker closing on his position. The captain nodded his head towards Rainbow Dash, who was in the middle of performing yet another one of her signature moves.

"Yes, sir," Forman agreed.

"Though, I'm curious, what's the reason for this airshow?" Becker asked, nodding towards Dash as she soared overhead.

Forman quickly explained why Dash was there, as well as the events that resulted in her arrival.

Becker scratched his chin in concentration at the end of Forman's explanation. "You sent Corporal Garnet and Jackson to keep surveillance on Sunset Shimmer?" His tone was neither one of approval or disagreement.

"Yes, sir; I wanted to make sure she wouldn't try to escape," Forman replied.

"A bit unnecessary though, don't you think, Lieutenant?"

"Sir?" asked Forman, confused. To him, it seemed perfectly necessary to keep eyes on someone who was both important to an upcoming diplomatic event, as well as a person who had demonstrated questionable judgment in the past.

"Well, think about it, Forman," Becker began. "Where would she escape to? Not our rift; it's too well guarded. She spent most of her life in Canterlot; she won't be familiar with Ponyville's terrain. And there isn't anyone, or rather, anypony here that would help her, since she had no friends."

Forman saw the captain's reasoning; without reliable methods of obtaining supplies and shelter, attempting to avoid working with the U.S. and Equestrians would be pointless.

Becker continued on. "Even if she did decide to escape, it probably wouldn't take more than a couple hours to locate her. She has no evasion training, whereas we have FLIR, UAVs, dogs, and so on and so forth."

Taking all this into consideration, Forman was beginning to doubt the necessity of the task he had assigned Garnet and Jackson to.

"One last thing; she'd have to get away from Princess Twilight. From what I hear, Twilight's pretty damn powerful. Not that I have any idea how magic works," he added as an afterthought.

"I see your point, sir," Forman said. "You think I should recall Garnet and Jackson?"

"It's up to you, Lieutenant; I won't make it an order," Becker replied. "However, that would probably be prudent."

Nodding, Forman reached for his radio, and relayed instructions to Garnet and Jackson. At the completion of his message, Forman turned around and found Rainbow Dash beaming confidently at him.

"So, how was _that_ for fast?" she asked.

* * *

Hours later, Sunset Shimmer lay in a bed across from Twilight's. The Alicorn appeared to be sleeping peacefully, but the newly arrived Human was wide awake, the thought of having to face Princess Celestia haunting her.

Her time spent with Twilight that day had provided a temporary distraction from these troubles, but her new friend was asleep now, and Sunset was left with no company other than her own thoughts.

The longer she laid there, the more stress she built up within herself. Finally, after resigning herself to facing a worse-case-scenario, one where she could never make up to Celestia and would instead be forever hated by her former teacher, a single tear slid down Sunset's face. Another followed, and soon Sunset had broken out into a light sob.

"Sunset?" Twilight's voice cut through the dark of the room, and Sunset looked towards the source of the voice. She squinted as Twilight turned on an overhead light.

"Sunset, what's wrong?" Twilight asked, sliding out of her bed and walking over to Sunset's, concern evident on her face.

"Twilight," Sunset said, managing to keep her voice steady, "What if Princess Celestia won't forgive me? I betrayed her trust and…" she trailed off, but Twilight didn't need any further explanation.

"You don't need to worry, Sunset; she'll forgive you," Twilight said reassuringly.

"How can you know?" asked Sunset.

"The first thing she asked me when I returned was if you were alright," Twilight informed her.

"Really?" asked Sunset.

Twilight nodded. "She was worried about you; doesn't seem to me she would hold a grudge against you."

This revelation calmed Sunset down considerably, and she was able to let out a short bark of laughter. "I guess I've been working myself up over nothing."

Twilight giggled slightly. "I know plenty about that," she said, recalling all the times she'd worried over nothing. "Anyway, you should get to sleep," Twilight said, walking back over to her bed, climbing in, and turning off the light. "We've got a big day ahead of us, tomorrow."


	8. Chapter 8

**Authors note:** This one actually turned out a bit longer than I had originally planned. Anyway, I'm sure you know the drill; thanks for reading, and please report any misspelled/confusing words to me so I can correct them. Enjoy.

**Chapter 8**

The Mane Six stepped out of their train car and onto the Canterlot station's boarding platform. They were followed shortly after by Captain Becker, Lieutenants Forman and Marshall, Sunset Shimmer, and Spike.

"Welcome to Canterlot Castle," said Twilight, addressing the small group of humans.

Lieutenant Forman looked nervously around him at the city that was perched on the side of a mountain. "Is it…safe?" he asked.

"Of course it's safe" Twilight responded, chuckling slightly at the lieutenant's mild discomfort. The structure might look haphazardly placed on the mountainside, but the castle had stood firm for hundreds of years, and she had total confidence in the structural integrity of the foundation.

Forman still looked slightly skeptical, but followed along with the rest of the group as they left the train station.

"Looks like a welcome party," said Marshall to Forman, nodding his head towards an approaching platoon of Royal Guards, whose golden armor was glistening in the morning sun.

"Let's hope it's a welcome party," Forman replied, remembering their previous encounter with Royal Guards. As the two groups drew closer, however, the Equestrian soldiers didn't display any signs of hostility.

The U.S. soldiers observed as the guards elegantly greeted Princess Twilight. No guards had been assigned to her for the train ride, Becker noticed. This could be a sign that the Equestrians didn't regard the Humans as a threat to them, which would make these meeting much easier.

The Equestrian guards escorted the group into the castle. As they moved deeper into the structure, Forman tried to forgot the fact that beneath the castle was nothing but a several thousand foot drop. Finally, they came to a pair of large, elegant doors.

"Here's the throne room," said Twilight.

"The rest of your rulers are in there?" asked Forman.

Twilight nodded. "Six counting myself; four princesses, and two princes."

The well-oiled hinges of the doors made almost no noise as they began to slowly open. Becker turned his head towards his two men and spoke. "Well, let's get going." With the doors now fully open, the mixture group of Humans and Equestrians entered the room.

* * *

Three sharp knocks at Colonel Davis's door alerted him to the presence of someone outside.

"Come in," he called, and in walked General Marsh. The colonel stood as his superior approached from across the room.

"General, please have a seat," Davis said, and Marsh plopped down in one of the chairs located in front of the colonel's desk. Davis returned to his own chair.

"Colonel, what's the status on securing a treaty with…Equestria," the general asked, recalled the name of the foreign land.

"Captain Becker and two of his subordinates are meeting with Equestria's leadership today, sir. If all goes according to plan, this will open up further diplomatic contact in the future," Davis reported. Marsh, however, did not look impressed upon by this. In fact, Davis thought, he looked tired; stressed. This was some cause for concern; Davis knew the general did not worry easily.

"How long in the future are we talking about, colonel?"

"Difficult to say, sir; a treaty like this could take months, or years even. After all, we are hoping to install a base of operations in their territory."

"Not good enough, dammit!" Marsh snapped, and Davis was slightly taken aback. Something must be weighing heavily on the generals mind for a reaction like that.

"I'm sorry, Colonel," Marsh apologized, "I'm sure you're doing your best."

"If you don't mind me asking, sir, why the sudden urgency?"

Marsh sighed and leaned forward on Davis's desk. "I can't tell you too much, colonel, but I will say Chinese naval capabilities are becoming problematic. You're familiar with their Type 096 nuclear sub, I assume."

"The Tang class; I'm vaguely familiar, sir."

"With a capacity of 24 SLBMs you can see how something like that would cause us some concern, especially now that the damn things are everywhere. And that's only one example, Colonel," Marsh said.

"Are you saying a nuclear attack against us is a likely occurrence, general?" Davis asked quickly.

Marsh, however, only shook his head. "What I'm saying is we need every advantage we can get, and we need it now." The general paused for a moment, regarding the officer in front of him. "Colonel Davis, I want you to take charge of the negotiation process."

"I've been trying, sir, but I'm having trouble sorting out good candidates for a representative."

"You misunderstand me, Colonel; I want you to meet with their leaders, and secure a defense treaty."

The colonel's eyes shot open wide. "Me, sir?" asked Davis, stunned.

Marsh nodded. "As Director of Strategic Defense Projects, I have the authority to appoint you as our representative." The position the general held had been created a few years prior to oversee a variety of U.S. military projects. When a rift to an alternate reality had been discovered, it had been brought to his attention, and he immediately saw the potential value of constructing a base there.

Davis, however, was less concerned with the general's authority to appoint him to the task, and more concerned about his own abilities. "Sir, I'm honored, but surely there are people far more qualified than me. After all, I'm not a diplomat."

"No Colonel, you're not a diplomat; you're a soldier, and as such you've built your entire career on defending this country. That's exactly the kind of person I want representing us."

Davis did not reply. After allowing for a quick moment of silence, the general continued. "My staff will fill you in with all the necessary details of your assignment. I would not be asking this of you, Colonel, if I didn't have complete confidence in your ability to succeed."

Davis sighed. "I'll do it, sir," he said eventually.

"Excellent, Colonel; the United States couldn't have a finer representative," Marsh said with confidence. "My staff will contact you later to brief you. Regretfully, I must be departing now."

The two men shook hands, and General Marsh left the office. His superior's confidence in him is what convinced the colonel to accept the assignment, but he still wasn't positive he was up for the challenge.

"Couldn't have a finer representative…" he muttered, echoing the words of the general. Davis shook his head. "Guess we'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

"Guess that went well enough," Forman remarked as he, Becker, and Marshall exited the throne room.

"I dunno…that one prince didn't seem to think much of us," Marshall replied. "Shining Armor, I think it was."

"What about the other guy?" asked Forman. "Blueblood, right?"

Marshall shrugged. "He didn't seem to have much of an opinion. In fact, it seemed like he'd much rather be somewhere else altogether."

"Well…either way, I guess as long as we can win over Shining Armor, we'll be set."

"That'll probably be easier said than done," Becker said. "He's the captain of their guard; he's going to be suspicious of us."

"Then we'll just have to avoid giving him a reason to doubt us," Forman said as they continued on their way down the hall. It was, however, going to be more difficult than simply giving no reason for doubt. As they left the throne room, Shining Armor regarded them with a frown.

Despite being normally friendly and good-natured, Shining Armor was not fond of these Humans, nor was he particularly trusting of the place they came from, the United States. From his point of view, a foreign nation sent armed troops into Equestria for the purposes of intelligence gathering. Normally, such an operation would be viewed as an act of aggression, if not an act of outright war. Shining Armor decided he wouldn't trust them until they gave him a good reason to. His sister, however, seemed much more optimistic.

"Twilight," he said as she passed by him on the way to the door. The princess turned and acknowledged him with a glance. "Are you sure about these guys?"

"What do you mean?" asked Twilight. She had seen his brothers apprehension towards the Humans, of course, but was wondering where it was rooted.

"How do we know we can trust 'em?" Shining Armor replied, jerking his head at the fading forms of the three U.S. soldiers as he said the last word.

"I don't _know_, I just do; it's a feeling," Twilight answered. Feelings, however, were not enough to convince a stallion like her brother.

"Think about it Twilight; while we're all here talking things over, they could be moving more and more troops into the country to attack," Shining Armor said, drawing a slight huff of irritation from Twilight. Before she could respond, he continued quickly. "This would be the best time to attack; all our leaders are assembled in one place attending what they believe to be peace talks."

"Or maybe they're being perfectly honest with us, and they're actually trying to establish diplomatic contact," said Twilight, with a hint of frustration evident in her voice.

Shining Armor could see this approach was not working, so he decided to switch tactics. "Twilight, remember when Queen Chrysalis was disguised as Cadence? You were the only one who suspected her, and you turned out to be right. How can you know the same thing isn't happening now, and they're only pretending to be our friends?"

Twilight let out a sigh. Logically, she couldn't think of any way to defeat her brother's argument. At the same time though, she didn't suspect the Humans of any treachery. Finally, she simply said "Why don't you go talk to them?"

"What?" Shining Armor was a bit surprised by this suggestion.

"You heard me; you should go talk to them; maybe even bring up some of these concerns with them. I'm sure Captain Becker would be glad to address any of your concerns," Twilight said.

"Hmm…" Shining Armor rubbed his hoof against his chin. If these Humans couldn't provide satisfactory answers or refused to comment, that might be evidence of hostile intent. On the other hand, it could alert them to the fact he was on to them. He weighed the options, and finally decided that he had made it already clear at the first meeting he was suspicious of the Humans. He had nothing to risk from talking to them.

"Alright," he agreed.

* * *

Captain Becker was standing on an outside balcony leaning his elbows against the waist-high stone wall, an apple in his right hand. From this elevated position he had an unobstructed view for miles and could see the cluster of houses and buildings that was Ponyville. Just a little beyond these structures, he could make out the fields of Sweet Apple Acres; where his apple had come from.

He heard the sound of hooves against the polished tile floor. Initially he dismissed the sound as quickly as the noticed it, but as it grew louder it dawned on him whoever was making it must be drawing closer. Turning around, he saw Shining Armor approaching him.

"Prince Shining Armor," Becker said as a greeting, all the while thinking his proper title was quite a mouthful.

"I prefer _captain_, actually," Shining Armor replied.

Becker let out a chuckle. "I would too."

Shining Armor swept the attempt at a joke aside. "Captain Becker, I have some questions I'd like answered."

Becker spread his hands in an inviting gesture. "I'm all ears."

"I'll be blunt, Captain; despite my sisters optimism, I'm not sure I can trust you. She has, however, convinced me to allow you the benefit of doubt, at least until you give me evidence that you're up to something."

Becker didn't reply. Instead, he simply stood in silence, waiting for Shining Armor's question.

"How do I know, Captain, your forces aren't mobilizing to attack Canterlot while you visit under the pretense of peace?"

Becker smiled slightly, in spite of the situation. "It would be the ideal time to attack, wouldn't it? Wipe out your leaders with one strike. But you were all here this morning, Captain; why would I put myself and two of my men at risk by arriving here?"

"You didn't know we would be here this morning; it could be you were sent ahead as an advance party to confirm our presence," Shining Armor pointed out.

"Well, I know you're here now, and do you see any attacking force? Any infantry swarming over your battlements, or marching down your streets?" asked Becker.

"You couldn't get your army from Ponyville to Canterlot in only a few hours," Shining Armor said. As far as he was concerned, absence of evidence was not evidence of absence.

"If I was going to attack Canterlot today, wouldn't I have just moved my men into position last night? They could move under the cover of darkness, and they'd be poised to attack on my command," Becker replied.

Shining Armor had to admit to himself that Captain Becker had a point. "Maybe you didn't move them into position last night because you weren't sure all our leaders would be here today." It wasn't a strong defense, but it was the best Shining Armor could muster.

Captain Becker, however, shook his head. "I know Princesses Celestia and Luna are at Canterlot, and I know that they're your top-tier leaders. I'd have attacked whether you and Cadence were here, or not."

Shining Armor's mouth tugged into a thoughtful frown; what Becker said made sense, but it still didn't prove the Humans had no aggressive intentions. "I'll be keeping my eye on you," he said while turning to leave.

Becker watched Shining Armor go; he wasn't sure if the Equestrian had been convinced, but it appeared he was at least willing to believe there was no sneak-attack planned for that day.

* * *

"Let's hope they don't think it's a sneak-attack, sir" These words were directed to Colonel Davis by a sergeant standing by the loading ramp of a V-22, which was resting on the LZ at Sweet Apple Acres. One day had passed since Captain Becker left for Canterlot, and now Colonel Davis would be flying to the city. He would arrive, albeit expectantly, on the second day of the initial U.S./Equestria meetings.

The sergeant's concern about a sneak attack stemmed from the fact that they had not been able to radio Captain Becker, or either one of his lieutenants to inform him of their intentions to arrive.

"Sir; you don't think Captain Becker walked into a trap, and that's why there're not answering, right?" asked one of the corporals that formed the colonel's escort.

"Doubtful; most likely, the radio transmissions can't penetrate the stone walls of the castle. Or, maybe Captain Becker forgot he was wearing his radio, sat down, and broke off the antenna," said Davis reassuringly.

In reality, the battery on the Captain's radio had died. Forman and Marshall had radios of their own, but these had been turned off to conserve battery life, causing them to miss the transmission.

The colonel boarded the turboprop, and the pilots turned on the engines. A cloud of dust was kicked up from the rotor-wash as the propellers built up speed, and soon the gray aircraft lifted off the ground and directed itself towards Canterlot.

* * *

Lieutenant Forman rose from his bed and stretched out his arms. It felt good to sleep in a real bed again, he thought, as opposed to the sleeping mats in use at the camp.

He exited the bed and quickly dressed himself. As he walked around the room to work out any kinks in his body, he heard several yelping cries of alarm emanating from somewhere outside his window.

He peered out of it, hoping to find out what the apparent fuss was about. After his eyes adjusted to the change in light, he noticed a pony pointing a hoof towards the morning sky. Forman scanned the horizon, and saw what was causing all the commotion; a lone V-22 Osprey was cruising through the air, obviously headed for Canterlot.

Which, Forman though, couldn't be right; these aircraft weren't uncommon sights in Ponyville, where they were used to resupply the U.S. soldiers camping at Sweet Apple Acres. That being said, there was absolutely no reason for one to be flying this close to Canterlot. He rubbed his eyes and looked a second time, but there was no denying it; a V-22 was defiantly inbound to the city.

The lieutenant wandered back into the hallway and found that all the commotion outside had roused the rest of his group. The ponies and soldiers were all wondering what was causing such apparent alarm. Taking notice of Forman as he entered their midst, they began to pop off questions at him, hoping perhaps the newcomer would have some answers.

"Captain," Forman said to Becker, then addressed the rest of the group "and others; there's a V-22 in close proximity to the city. In fact, it looks like it's going to land."

"That's what all the screaming's about, then?" Marshall asked.

Becker sighed, "Yeah, that'd probably do it." He looked at Twilight and her friends. "No offense."

Twilight shrugged; Becker's observation was accurate. "Rainbow, follow after them; see if you can keep more ponies from panicking when they land."

"On it!" Dash replied, galloping towards a window and hopping out of it. She was lost from sight for a second or so, then reappeared heading after the aircraft.

"We should probably get going ourselves," Becker said.

Before they would move after the Osprey, though, a single shouted command resonated through the hallway: "Freeze!"

Several Royal Guards brandishing swords and spears were barring the hallways exit, Shining Armor among them. Noticing obvious danger and acting on pure instinct, the three human soldiers drew their service pistols and aimed them down the hall at the Equestrians.

"Becker, you liar!" Shining Armor shouted accusingly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" demanded Becker.

"One of your machines is attacking Canterlot!" In reality, it was merely inbound to the city, rather than actually assaulting it. However, the appearance of the U.S. aircraft was enough to convince Shining Armor an attack was imminent.

"Shining Armor, listen to me," Becker said calmly. "We are _not_ attacking your city."

Shining Armor hesitated, but only for a few moments. He decided he had been entirely too trusting of the foreign soldiers and it was now time to take up arms in defense of Equestria.

The standoff, however, quickly came to an abrupt end. The Equestrian and U.S. soldiers alike felt their weapons jerked from their grasp, and a series of loud metallic bangs sounded as they impacted the stone floor. Each side was now armed with nothing but air.

"Maybe we could actually find out what's going on before you start killing each other?!" boomed a furious Twilight Sparkle. Purple-colored magic aura buzzed angrily around her horn as she used her magic to keep the weapons plastered to the ground.

Becker lowered his hands out of a shooting position so that they instead hung by his hips. "Truce?" he called across the hall to Shining Armor.

"For now," Shining Armor agreed.

Under Twilight's watchful eye they maneuvered the halls of Canterlot Castle. They came to an exit just in time to catch a glimpse of the V-22 disappearing behind a building as it landed somewhere in the city.

Dash remained airborne, flying in circles above the landed aircraft and trying to keep ponies near the LZ calm. She was having little success though, judging from the cries of alarm that were coming from that direction.

The group made their way through the city. As they approached the landing zone, ponies ran past them in the opposite direction. Rainbow Dash was still flying overhead and they oriented themselves based on her position. She watched them approach for a few seconds, and then flew down to join them.

"I tried keeping everypony calm, Twilight," Dash said as she landed by her friend. "It didn't work out well, though."

Twilight nodded; she hadn't really been expecting it to, but she thought it best to send Dash ahead, regardless. "Thanks, Dash."

Finally they reached their destination. The gray aircraft sat stationary on the ground with a small group of humans standing near its rear. One of them pointed as they saw the approaching Humans and ponies, and they began to walk towards them.

Becker scanning the group of Humans, and singled out on man as the leader. He wasn't close enough to make out his face yet, but as the two groups drew nearer recognition dawned on him. "Colonel Davis?" Becker called. It was a question as much as a greeting.

"Captain; it's good to see you," Davis replied. The two groups had now reached each-other and were standing in two parallel lines. He recognized Twilight and greeted her as well. "Princess."

"Sir, what are you doing here?" asked Becker.

"General Marsh appointed me the official representative of the United States during these negotiations," Davis said. "We tried to radio you and let you know we were coming, but you never responded." The colonel looked about, as if only just now noticing the impact his presence was having. "I hope I didn't cause you any problems." This final statement was directed at both his men, and the Equestrians that stood beside him.

Becker exchanged glances with Shining Armor. "No, sir; no problems here."

Shining Armor picked up on Becker's tone; it carried a subtle _'told-you-so'_ message that he knew could only be directed at him. In light of his hostility, Shining Armor supposed he had it coming.

Colonel Davis on the other hand seemed to not notice, and smiled broadly at the Equestrians. "Excellent. Now," Davis began, "I've already had the pleasure of meeting you, Princess Twilight, but I'm still unacquainted with the rest of your leadership."

Twilight recognized that the colonel was suggesting he meet with the other princesses. "They'll be at today's meeting, Colonel Davis; I'll introduce you then."

Davis responded by nodding his thanks. "Well, it seems there's nothing more to discuss here; shall we be going?"

"Oh!" Twilight exclaimed. "Yes; certainly. None of us have had breakfast yet, Colonel; care to join us?"

"Thank you, yes; that sounds wonderful."

They returned to the castle using the same route to get to the landing zone, though this time the trip had considerable less urgency. The members of the group made small talk among themselves as they traveled the roads of Canterlot.

After the breakfast Twilight had spoken of, it was time for the second days meeting to commence. Despite Davis's appearance, the original purpose of the meetings remained the same; to break the ice between the two countries. It did mean, however, that official negotiations could begin much sooner than originally expected. A messenger had been sent ahead to inform the other princesses of Davis's arrival.

As Humans and Ponies entered the throne room, Becker heard someone call his name.

"Captain Becker, can I speak with you?"

Somewhat to Becker's surprise, it was Shining Armor. He stood aside and gestured for Shining Armor to proceed.

Shining Armor waited until they were alone in the hallway to speak. "I owe you an apology, Captain; I really thought you were an enemy of Equestria."

"And now?" asked Becker.

"It…seems much less likely you're planning an attack," Shining Armor replied.

Captain Becker shrugged; it'd do for him. "Don't worry about it; you're in a difficult position." The presence of soldiers that were not only from another country, but from a different reality would cause any military commander concern; especially in a place like Equestria, where peace was prevalent.

The two stood silently outside the throne room, neither one really having more to add. Voices began emanating from the interior of the throne room, and Becker gestured toward it with his head. "We'd better get in there, they're starting without us."

Shining Armor nodded agreement, and the pair walked through the doorway and into the throne room.

* * *

In the Everfree Forest, something stirred. It stretched through the shadows of the dense and wild woods, unseen by Pony or Human eyes. A thousand tendrils shot up from the ground.

These actions were not controlled by intelligence. Its motions were instead directed by pure instinct. It was an ancient evil that had been set into motion thousands of years prior. It knew, however, its target.

The Tree of Harmony; the controller of all life in the Everfree Forest. This was the intended prey, and now thick black vines stretched out from the ground, ensnaring the tree.

The effect was immediate. Like a parasite, the vines began to seep the life out of the tree they were attached to. The Tree of Harmony's magic was immensely powerful, but it would soon begin to wane. These new plants would spread through the Everfree Forest as the tree weakened. Once they gained enough strength, the second stage of their mission would begin; their attack on Equestria.


	9. Chapter 9

**Authors note: **My longest chapter yet. Enjoy; please report any misspelled or confusing words.

**Chapter 9**

"Colonel Davis, I don't see the benefit of stationing a large quantity of your troops in Equestria."

"Like I've explained before, Princess Celestia, if we post more of our soldiers here Equestria will receive substantial defense benefits. You'll be provided with both a deterrent from attack, as well as a means to respond to any attacks that do come."

"So you keep saying. But currently Equestria has no enemies; there isn't any need for your base."

Lieutenant Marshall groaned and rubbed his temples as Celestia and Davis continued their back-and-forth conversation. This had been going on for almost a week now and he was growing sick of it. These negotiations were proceeding so slowly, in fact, that Cadence and Shining Armor had returned to the Crystal Empire. Marshall suspected it had been to escape the mine-numbing boredom of these meetings.

Checking his watch, he saw that this meeting was, once again, running long. Defeated, he let his head fall forward onto the table which produced a much louder sound than he had originally intended.

"Princess," Davis began, ignoring the smacking sound that Marshall's forehead had produced, "I'm not sure you can say Equestria is without enemies. For example, recently you were attacked by Changelings. Invaded by them, actually."

"Yes, but as I'm sure you know, they were defeated and we haven't heard from them since."

"Colonel Davis." This time it was Twilight who spoke. "I understand what you're trying to propose, but it simply isn't necessary. You've been studying Equestria's history, so I'm sure you're aware of the Elements of Harmony."

"Yes, I am," Davis replied.

"So far, the elements have provided us with all the protection we need."

"I don't doubt their effectiveness, but you can only deploy the elements to one location at a time. A base full of soldiers would let you respond to emergencies in multiple locations at once. And should you need your Elements of Harmony, we can get them where you need them faster, and have our soldiers support them once they arrive."

"You have fifty men in Equestria already, and a base built on your side of the rift," Twilight pointed out. And this was the crux of the issue. The United States wanted to send more soldiers and material into Equestria, but the Equestrians didn't see how it was necessary.

"I think, Colonel, Princess Twilight is saying that we don't see any need for you to post more soldiers here," Celestia said.

Davis paused for a moment; this wasn't the first time they had discussed this but it always seemed to end in a stalemate. "Princess, what if we could demonstrate to you how having a base here would benefit you?"

Celestia raised her eyebrows. "I suppose that if you can prove your claim, then we would consider accepting. How do you intend to do so?"

"I don't know yet," Davis admitted. "We can discuss it tomorrow, if you wish. We are running long today, after all."

Celestia shook her head. "We can discuss it, but not tomorrow; it will the Summer Sun Celebration."

"Whenever we return, then," suggested Davis.

"Agreed," Celestia nodded. "Our meeting is adjourned, for today."

Marshall sprung up from his chair and groaned with relief as he stretched himself out. "C'mon, Jason; let's go get something to eat," he said, grabbing his friends forearm and pulling him up from his seat.

"What?!" Forman asked, the violent action jerking him out of his thoughts and back into reality, where he saw Lieutenant Marshall dragging him up and then towards the door. "Alright, alright! Let me have my arm back; damn!"

Twilight suppressed a giggle as she watched the noisy exit. Such behavior was inappropriate in the presence of royalty, but that was what actually made it funny; especially since Twilight never cared much for proper protocols of royalty.

"Certainly, they are an interesting pair," Celestia remarked to Twilight, as if reading her mind.

Twilight shook her head; "I'd almost forgotten about the Summer Sun Celebration; I've been thinking about these negotiations so much."

Celestia smiled as she and her protégé walked out into the hall. "Tomorrow will be a welcome break from all these meetings. I trust your friends will be joining us for the celebration?"

Twilight's smile disappeared. "No; they were planning to be here, but Mayor Mare called them back to Ponyville. There was some urgent need of their assistance."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Still though, it's wonderful to be actually looking forward to the celebration."

"Looking forward to it? What do you mean?" asked Twilight, puzzled. She had assumed Celestia looked forward to the event as much as every other pony in Equestria.

For my subjects, it has always been a celebration of my defeat of Nightmare Moon. But for me... it was just a terrible reminder that I'd had to banish my own sister," Celestia sighed.

"Oh… I guess I've never thought about it that way," Twilight said.

"But now it has become a wonderful reminder of her transformation back into Princess Luna, and our happy reunion." Celestia beamed at her. "I am so pleased that you will be playing a role in the festivities."

Twilight laughed nervously; being so involved with the negotiations, she hadn't had much time to study the events planned for the next day. Earlier she had given Spike an ordered check-list of things he needed to see to for the celebration, she now she was reminded that she needed to get back to her room and look it over.

The pair stopped at an intersection; Twilight gestured with her head towards the left hallway. "I should get going, Princess; is there anything else you need?"

Celestia shook her head. "No, thank you, Twilight; I'll see you tomorrow at the celebration."

* * *

Lieutenant Forman sighed as the waiter-Unicorn set his order down on the table.

"Is there something wrong, sir?" the waiter asked, a bit nervously. Ponies were growing gradually more used to the sight of a Human, but they still weren't entirely comfortable around them.

"Hm? Oh… no, nothing's wrong," Forman said. "It's just," he eyed the large platter of fruits and vegetables, "I'm not really used to this kind of diet." Ponies here seemed to be largely, if not entirely, herbivores, and Lieutenant Forman was craving meat. Since he had arrived in Equestria, he could only get that from military rations; not restaurants and cafés like the one he was in now.

"If there's something else you'd prefer, I'm sure we can accommodate you," the waiter said, trying to be helpful.

"No… thank you," Forman told him. It was probably better to avoid asking for meat here, especially during negotiations.

Sensing he could be of no further help, the waiter nodded to himself and moved on to a different table.

Unlike the waiter, Marshall knew exactly what Forman wanted. "Hoping they'd have a steak?"

Forman muttered an unintelligible reply and looked at the celery that had been placed on one side of his plate; he was not a fan of celery. Sure, it was alright as an additive to stew or soup, but stews and soups usually have meat in them, Forman thought. "Maybe there's a black-market where I can buy some bacon…"

"Some bacon would be nice," Marshall admitted, taking a bite out of an apple.

"Or a hamburger."

Marshall looked at his apple and let out a disappointed sigh. Suddenly, fruit seemed much less appealing.

Forman stared silently at a carrot for a few moments. "Fluttershys got some chickens; think she'd notice if one went missing?"

"Mind if I join you two?" asked a voice from behind him.

Forman's eye's shot open wide as he recognized the speaker as Twilight Sparkle. He desperately hoped she hadn't heard his joke about stealing chickens from one of her friends.

"Sit," Marshall said, gesturing to an open spot at the table.

Twilight sat at the place indicated and looked at Forman. "Gonna' eat your celery?" she asked hopefully.

Forman slid the plate over to her. "All yours."

She nodded gratefully and dug into the platter of fruits and vegetables that had been given to her. She realized, after a minute or so, that perhaps wolfing down large helpings of food might be unbecoming of a princess, and that both Forman and Marshall were staring at her with some evident amusement.

"Heh-heh... "She laughed nervously. "Excuse me; I haven't had a chance to eat today."

Marshall shrugged dismissively. "So, what brings you out here?"

"Boredom, I guess; Spikes asleep, and everypony else went back to Ponyville. I was taking a walk and saw you two through a window."

"You've got a celebration tomorrow, right? I'll bet you're looking forward to that; especially after this past week," Marshall said, changing the subject.

"I'd be looking forward to it more if the rest of the girls were here," Twilight said. "We all met at the Summer Sun Celebration," she explained.

"Oh; that sucks," Marshall replied.

"I for one," Forman began, "am thankful we won't have to sit in that throne room for hours on end."

"Amen," agreed Marshall.

"Speaking of, I hope it doesn't bother you that we're resisting your plans of building a base here," Twilight said.

Forman exchanged glances with Marshall. "Doesn't bother us," he said.

"Besides," Marshall added, "nothing's been finalized yet; we might very well win you over with whatever demonstration Colonel Davis cooks up."

Forman checked his watch. "It's getting late; I think I'll head back and get to sleep."

"Yeah; same here," Marshall said as he looked at his own watch. "We'll see ya' tomorrow, Twilight."

"Goodnight," she called to the two soldiers as they left. She sat in silence for a moment, and then remembered the plate of food that Forman had given her. Sighing appreciatively, she turned her attention back to her dinner.

* * *

"Jason! Jason, wake up!"

"What the…?" muttered Lieutenant Forman, as a booming voice roused him from his sleep. The door to the room he occupied was thrown open and it slammed into the stone wall with an audible _bang._ Lieutenant Marshall entered the room and rushed over to his friend.

"C'mon Jason; you need to get up!"

"Mark…what are you off about?" asked Forman, groggily.

"There's something wrong with the sun!" exclaimed Marshall, gesturing wildly towards the window. "Or maybe there's something wrong with the moon; I can't tell." Marshall paused for a moment, and saw that Forman was still not moving. "C'mon man; we need you up!"

Groaning, Forman slid out of bed and dressed himself. "Really Mark; _I am_ your superior officer. It's pretty inappropriate to come barging in here, bellowing about how I _have_ to wake up," Forman complained, unhappy about being woken up. "Sure we're friends and all, but it's still a breach of proper protocol- what the hell?!" Forman blurted, as he peered out his window.

Both the sun and the moon hung high in the sky. Forman checked his watch several times, trying to discern the proper time of day.

"What's our next move, _sir_?" Marshall asked, heavily emphasizing the last word.

"Quit pouting; we've got problems!"

"Ya' don't say," Marshall muttered under his breath.

"We need to alert Captain Becker and Colonel Davis. Then we have to find one of the princesses, and find out what the devils going on."

Minutes later, Becker and Davis were standing in the hallway with Forman and Marshall.

"So," Davis said, looking out one of the windows, "you've been here longer than I have; anything like this happen before?"

Captain Becker exchanged glances with Marshall and Forman. "No sir, this is the first time I've seen anything like this."

Davis sighed and they began walking swiftly down the hallway. "Maybe this is just a rare astrological event? Sort of like an eclipse or something?"

"I don't know sir; maybe," Becker replied, although he seriously doubted it.

They rounded a corner and ran into Twilight and Spike, who skidded to a halt in front of them.

"Princess Twilight; thank God" said Davis, "Do you have any idea what's going on?"

Twilight frantically shook her head. "I'm trying to find that out, myself."

"Maybe Celestia or Luna will know what's going on." Forman suggested.

"That's what I was thinking," Twilight replied. "C'mon, we have to find them!"

"Princess Twilight!" A pair of Royal Guards rushed down the hallway towards them. "Your Highness, you must come with us!"

Twilight looked at the U.S. soldiers. "Come with me," she said, then looked at the guards as if daring them to challenge that decision.

They hesitated for a moment. "Very well; we must hurry!"

The guards led them through the castle at an urgent pace and they arrived in the throne room. As they charged through the open door, Forman assumed Celestia or Luna was about to give them some answer. Much to his surprise, the room was empty, save for themselves.

"It's Princess Luna and Princess Celestia," the first guard said.

"They're gone!" his companion announced.

Twilight and Spike gasped as the Humans exchanged worried glances.

"But…I don't understand!" Twilight exclaimed. "Where are they?"

"We don't know," the guard gravely replied. "It seems that they've simply vanished."

"Vanished?!" repeated Spike.

"We await your command, princess," one of the guards said.

"_My_ command?!"

"We're Royal Guards; we take our orders from royalty," he explained. "Princess Celestia and Luna are missing, so we take our orders from you."

Davis glanced at Twilight, and could plainly see the toll of having power thrust upon her was taking.

She took a deep breath, however, and calmly issued her instructions. "I want you to continue the search for Princess Luna and Princess Celestia. We have to find them before ponies start to panic. There must be some clue that can tell us what's happened to them. If you find something, anything, let me know immediately."

"I can get some of our own men on that, if you'd like," Davis offered. "Give me thirty minutes and I could have these skies filled with search aircraft; and we've already got a V-22 right here in Canterlot."

"Thank you colonel, but I don't think you should bring in a large searching force; I don't want ponies to think you're the ones behind all that," Twilight said, gesturing towards the raised sun and moon.

"Your highness!" a guard exclaimed, galloping into the room. He paused to catch his breath and then announced, "News from Ponyville! The Everfree Forest appears to be... well... _invading_!"

Everyone was silent. Twilight and Spike tried to picture what from the forest might be attacking Ponyville, while the Humans tried to comprehend how a forest could attack a city to begin with.

"Invading?! How can a forest invade?!" demanded Davis.

"The Everfree Forest is full of dangerous creatures" Twilight explained. "I imagine it could be Timberwolves, or a hydra. Or maybe it's several species of animals." Twilight looked to the guard for confirmation.

"It's not an animal, highness; it's some sort of strange vine," the guard said.

"A vine?" Twilight was puzzled. "I've never seen any sort of aggressive vines living in the Everfree."

"It's not a vine we've ever seen before, but from what I hear it's springing up everywhere!"

Twilight stood silent for a minute. "I have to get down there," she finally said.

Davis nodded his agreement. "So do we."

"C'mon Spike; I think we're going to need the Elements of Harmony and our friends to put a stop to this," Twilight said. "Let's hurry so we can catch the next train to Ponyville."

Captain Becker cleared his throat. "I could be wrong, but I doubt very much that the train will be running to Ponyville right now. It is under attack, after all."

Twilight realized he was probably right. But she _needed_ the train to get off the mountain to get to Ponyville as soon as possible. Spike, however, had a different idea.

"The train isn't the only way to get to Ponyville, Twilight; you could fly us there," he suggested.

"I don't know, Spike," she said, hesitantly. "We need to get there as quick as we can, and I'm still not a very fast flyer; especially if I'm going to be carrying you with me."

"I think he might be right." It was Forman, this time, who spoke up. "You could fly with us, of course, but our V-22 is sitting on the other side of the city, and it sounds like you need to get to Ponyville ASAP."

"You can do it, Twilight," Marshall said encouragingly. "We'll be coming in right behind you; as soon as we can get our bird in the air."

Twilight looked from them to Spike, and nodded. "Let's go, Spike,"

She took a deep breath and ran off with her assistant, presumably towards an open window or ledge somewhere.

"C'mon, we need to get going ourselves," Colonel Davis said. The four Humans set off at a jog towards the V-22.

* * *

Corporal Garnet was feeling several things. He felt tired, he was aching, and he felt out of breath. But above all, he was feeling fear.

When the vines from the Everfree began their attack on Ponyville, the soldiers of the First Alternate Reality Group had mobilized to defend the town. This is where Garnet and the other ten men of his unit found themselves now; trying to cover a neighborhood of ponies escaping to the towns center where the vines had yet to reach.

The weapons carried by the U.S. soldiers were quickly becoming less effective. While it only took one or two hits to disable most vines, their sheer number was beginning to overwhelm the small group of defending Humans. At first the vines had been shredded under a hailstorm of bullets, but now the soldiers found themselves running now on ammunition, and had to ensure ever shot counted.

"Where the hell is that airstrike?!" Sergeant Major Erik bellowed at a radio operator.

"It should be here any moment now, sir!" the operator replied, yelling over the sound of weapon fire.

"Any moment now we're not going to be here anymore!" Erik replied, gesturing towards the vines.

Garnet took aim at a nearby vine and squeezed off a shot, followed by a second, and then a third for good measure. His magazine was now empty, so he released it from the weapon and reached down to grab another, and realized he was now out of ammunition for his rifle.

"Damn!" Garnet slung the now empty weapon over the shoulder and drew his service pistol. "How are you holding out, Jackson?"

Corporal Jackson looked over his shoulder. "I'm on my last mag now."

Just as Garnet was beginning to abandon hope, the sound of jet engines cut through the air. Their air support had arrived, and seconds later a missile streaked towards the plants and detonated in a massive, fiery explosion.

Garnet felt the shockwave from the blast pass through his body, followed immediately by intense heat.

As the dust settled and the smoke cleared, the small band of soldiers could see that the vines had been totally obliterated. A cheer of triumph and relief went up from the men, but it was very short-lived. Their happy shouts died out as they saw more black tendrils rising from the ground, taking the place of the vines the Humans had been battling only moments earlier.

"Fall back!" Sergeant Major Erik ordered. He knew his men were running low on ammunition and he had been counting on the airstrike to eliminate the vines. There was no way they could survive if they remained in this defensive position any longer; their only option was to retreat.

They ran through the neighborhood they had been protecting. It looked like they had brought the inhabitants enough time to escape and the streets were completely abandoned.

Completely abandoned, Garnet noticed, except for a small orange Pegasus with a purple mane and tail.

"Run!" he urged her.

She remained perfectly still however, her eyes locked on the approaching vines.

Garnet scooped her up and threw her over his shoulders as he rushed by, and continued his hasty retreat with the rest of the team.

* * *

"Sir, we're approaching Ponyville! ETA: a little over a minute!" Second Lieutenant Harris reported from the cockpit. He and his copilot, Second Lieutenant Aiken, were the same two pilots who had flown Twilight and Forman to pick up Sunset Shimmer, and then back.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Davis replied over the headset. He peered out one of the Osprey's round windows; it was difficult to see much of the town below, but one or two small buildings were just becoming visible to him.

On the ground, however, the helicopter was totally visible to anyone who looked up into the sky; a small crowd of Ponies had gathered outside Twilight's library to watch the incoming vehicle, including Twilight herself and her friends.

"Here comes the cavalry," Applejack remarked.

"Their punctuality is commendable," Rarity said. "You yourself only arrived a few minutes ago, darling." This statement was directed at Twilight.

"Well, they said they'd be here as fast as they could," Twilight replied, though the few minutes she had spent waiting for them had felt like hours. The sight of the helicopter provided some relief; it contained people she likened to her brother; people with knowledge of how to handle situations like this one.

Rainbow Dash, however, didn't share in Twilight's relief. If anything, she was growing more concerned as she watched the aircraft approaching.

"Dash? Are you alright?" asked Fluttershy, noticing her friend's obvious concern over something.

"Something's up," Dash replied, narrowing her eyes at the rapidly approaching vehicle. Rainbow Dash was more than just a talented flyer; she possessed an almost uncanny instinct about flight. The American aircraft was almost totally foreign to her, but looking at its angle of attack, its speed, and a variety of other minute details, she produced an explanation for her worries.

"They're out of control…" Her eyes shot open wide and she whipped her head around to face Twilight. "They're gonna crash!" Twilight barely had time to process what she had told her before Rainbow rocketed off towards the Osprey.

Indeed she was correct. On board the aircraft, the triple-redundant electronic control systems were failing to respond from input from either the pilot, or the copilot.

"We're in for a rough landing; hang on back there!" Lieutenant Harris reported over the intercom. He knew though, at these speeds, that their chances of survival were poor. In all likelihood they would perish on impact.

The occupants of the vehicle felt a forceful impact on the belly of the aircraft. Rainbow Dash had reached the Osprey and was using all her power to try and slow it to a controlled descent. Despite her best efforts though, she was fighting a losing battle against the vehicle's ten-thousand horsepower engines.

Rainbow Dash quickly realized she couldn't bring the vehicle safely down by herself. To say she was in a difficult situation would be an understatement; she was very much in mortal danger. If the descent of the aircraft couldn't be stopped, then she'd be crushed underneath the thirty-three thousand pound Osprey as it slammed into the ground. However, despite the obvious danger to her life, the thought of abandoning the vehicle to save herself never occurred to her.

"Help!" Dash bellowed to anyone who might be listening. Her words were drowned out by the sound of the massive propellers, but it was plainly clear to anyone watching her that both she and the Osprey's occupants were in dire need of assistance.

Twilight leapt into action, casting a spell to slow the aircraft. Rarity followed suit, and she was joined by several other unicorns that were present in the crowd. The vehicle slowed exponentially and Dash felt an enormous strain taken off of her body. Now, Pegasi followed Dash's example, soaring out to help control the Osprey. Miraculously, they avoided the spinning turboprops.

As the Unicorns and Pegasi brought the aircraft in to land on their own power, Harris was able to kill the engines. The Pegasi retreated out from under the vehicle and the Unicorns set it down on its belly.

The cargo ramp dropped, and out of it rushed the occupants.

"Is everyone alright?" Forman asked, addressing both the crowd and the men who had been in the helicopter with him.

"Thanks to all of them," Captain Becker said, gesturing towards the ponies in the crowd, "it would appear so."

"You can thank me later," Rainbow Dash panted, before collapsing on her side and letting out a relieved sigh as she relaxed her muscles.

Colonel Davis addressed their saviors. "Thank you; you saved our lives. Although, I would be interested in knowing exactly that happened," he said, glaring at Lieutenant Harris and Lieutenant Aiken.

"I don't know what happened sir; the controls wouldn't respond," Harris explained.

"Actually, I noticed a similar phenomenon earlier today, when I couldn't control my magic," Rarity said. "Perhaps there's some correlation?"

Twilight nodded in agreement. "This all has to do with what's happening with the Everfree."

Colonel Davis looked thoughtful. "If that's true, we need to radio back to base and warn them not to send aircraft through." He signaled for Harris to make the call. "So, Princess Twilight; have you found anything out?"

Twilight's eyes squinted in concentration as she pieced these events together. "Hmm… half-day, half night… out of control plants… your machine nearly crashing," Twilight said to Forman.

"Don't forget Rarity's manic magical mishap!" Pinkie added.

"I think," Twilight began, "I'm starting to get a pretty good idea of who it is we're up against."

Twilight and her friends all seemed to reach a mutual conclusion. The Humans, however, were totally lost.

"Uhm… who?" Forman asked, after exchanging confused glances with Marshall.

"Discord!" Twilight dramatically announced.

"Uhm… who?" echoed Marshall.

"Lord of Chaos; embodiment of disharmony; hence the name _Discord_," Dash said nonchalantly, swishing a hoof back and forth as she spoke.

"Well… I guess that makes sense," Marshall said

"Look, let's get on with it; we're wasting time," Forman said. "Let's just find this Discord guy and make him fix… whatever it is that needs to be fixed!"

"Gladly," Twilight replied. "You might want to stand back," she said to the group of U.S. soldiers.

As he did so, Forman heard some sort of whirring sound fill the air. Seconds later, a… thing sitting in a bathtub appeared where he had been standing.

Forman looked at Captain Becker in the hopes that he might have some idea what sort of creature this was, but the answer seemed to elude him as well.

"That's Discord," Dash whispered, sensing his confusion.

"Winter Wrap Up, Winter Wrap-ooh!" he sang, before realizing where it was.

"Now, Twilight, you know Princess Celestia said that you were to give me a heads up before you summon me with that little spell she gave you," Discord scolded. "In case you haven't noticed, I was in the middle of a particularly invigorating shower."

"Enough!" barked Twilight, and Discord's smile disappeared. "Release Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and stop the Everfree Forest from invading, _now!_" she ordered.

"Always business with you, Twilight," he sighed. "You never call just to say 'hi'; you haven't even introduced me to your new friends!" he exclaimed, gesturing towards the dumbstruck Americans.

"My 'new friends' nearly died when their helicopter lost control and almost crashed because of your magic!" she shouted, and pointed a hoof at him, accusingly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Discord insisted. "Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love what you've done with the place," he chuckled while surveying the surrounding chaos, "but unfortunately I had nothing to do with it; I'm reformed."

"Look… we really can't afford to waste any time," Forman said. "If he didn't have anything to do with it…" he trailed off.

"Oh, he's guilty, alright!" Dash growled. "This has his cloven hoofprints all over it!"

"I'll have you know that I have only _one_ cloven hoof!" Discord exclaimed. "Such accusations; and here I thought we were friends."

"Princess," Colonel Davis said to Twilight, "Lieutenant Forman is right; there's no time to lose. Are you positive you're on the right track?"

Twilight's face scrunched up in concentration. This certainly looked like Discord's doing, but at the same time she couldn't be sure he was to blame. And all the while she stood around making accusations, Princess Celestia and Luna were lost and the Everfree was advancing on Ponyville.

"If you're not responsible," Twilight said to Discord, "then help us find out who is!"

"I suppose I _could_," he began, "but after all the hoofpoining and besmirching of my good name, I just don't know if I'm up to it." A pair of knitting needles appeared in his hands and he began working on a scarf.

Twilight stomped her hoof and let out a roar of frustration.

"Why don't you ask your Zebra friend if she knows anything?" Discord asked, pointing towards a Zebra who was trudging out of the woods.

"Zecora!" Twilight exclaimed, rushing over to her.

"So, now there's Zebras here, too," Forman muttered to Marshall.

"From my home, I have had to flee!" she said to Twilight. "The forest has grown too wild, even for me!"

"Hey; that rhymed," Forman stated with mild interest, earning him the stares of all the ponies present. "What?" he asked. "Why are you all looking at me like I'm an idiot?"

Applejack shook her head. "Any idea why all this is happenin'?" she asked.

Zecora shook her head. I'm afraid it is a mystery to me as well," she began, "but I may have something that, if combined with a spell... I do not dare to use it myself, the results would be tragic. It only responds to Alicorn magic."

She walked to within a few feet of Twilight. "Princess Twilight, you can turn the potion from purple to white. After a sip, you may see why the sky is day and night.

"All that rhymed too… does she only talk in rhyme?" Forman asked aloud.

Twilight ignored Forman and focused on the bottle of purple liquid. After a few seconds of concentration she was able to turn it to the desired color of white.

She levitated the bottle so that it was close to her face and examined the contents. After a second or so of inspection, she tilted her head back and took a sip of the potion.

She smacked her lips together. "Doesn't seem to be worki—'' at that moment the potion kicked in. She eyes shot open wide and her body went ridged, before she collapsed on her side.

Forman winced as she landed. After a few seconds she began to lightly mumble incoherent words. Everyone was very quiet, as if making the slightest sound might cause them to miss some very important detail.

In the distance the screams of ponies as they fled from the invading could be heard along with the barking of automatic weapon fire, presumably as the rest of the First Alternate Reality Group tried to beat back the attacking vines with superior firepower. "So…" Marshall began, "how long is this going to take?"

As soon as he said this, Twilight's began violently sobbing.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean it!" Marshall quickly apologized, worried that his comment might had provoked this response.

He was, however, mistaken, and closer inspection revealed she was still in her trace-like state.

"She gonna be okay?" Forman asked Zecora.

"The potion will not cause her harm; there is no need for your alarm," she replied.

"That isn't very reassuring," Forman muttered.

Suddenly though, Twilight let out a groan and opened her eyes. "Why are you all looking at me like that?" she asked, noticing the concerned faces staring down at her.

"It's just… you were mumblin' to yourself," Applejack began.

"Ooh! And don't forget the uncontrollable sobbing!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"We were really worried about you," Fluttershy said gently.

"I for one found it delightful!" boomed Discord. "A sort of one-pony show piece if you will!" He chuckled to himself. "You should really consider taking it on the road."

"You're sure you're alright?" Forman asked her, while eyeballing Discord.

"I'm fine; I saw something from a long time ago but it doesn't explain what's happening now."

"Perhaps farther back are the answers you seek," Zecora said to her. "Another sip of the potion will give you a peek."

"You're sure that's a good idea?" Forman asked, cautiously. "I mean… what could the effects be if you take that stuff twice?"

"Lieutenant Forma is right, Twilight; taking it again might be dangerous. Are you sure about this?" Spike asked.

Twilight wasn't sure about any of it, but she needed answers and it seemed like the potion was the only way to get them. "I'll be fine," she said, and gave her friends a reassuring smile before raising the potion back up to her lips and taking another sip.

"Oh, I do hope the breaks into a song this time!" Discord said, enthusiastically.

As the effects of the potion kicked in there wasn't any singing, and much to everyone's relief, no crying either. After a few minutes, Twilight was back in the present, and hopefully with the information they needed.

"What'd you find out?" Captain Becker asked as he helped her up.

"I still don't know what's happened to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, but I know why the Everfree Forest is acting this way," Twilight said. "Something's happened to the Tree of Harmony."

"The… what?" Forman asked Rainbow Dash, hoping she'd be able to fill him in. Dash merely shrugged in confusion, though.

"Never heard of it," she replied.

"It's where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna found the Elements," Twilight explained. "I think it's in danger."

"Well, alright then!" Applejack said. "Let's go save a… tree."

"Do you know where this tree is?" Forman asked.

Twilight nodded nervously and pointed at the Everfree Forest; the very forest that was launching an attack on Ponyville, and presumably Equestria was next. "I think," she said, "it's in there."


	10. Chapter 10

**Authors note: **This fan-fiction will include both alternate episodes, and original conflicts. I'm sure all of you know which type this chapter is. If any of you are interested, feel free to PM me about any ideas original conflict you have, that you'd like to see done in Equestria Occupied. Describe the setting, characters, and the conflict, and I'll do my best to take care of the rest. Anyway, if you notice any misspellings in this chapter please let me know so I can correct them. Thanks for reading.

**Chapter 10**

"In _there_?" Forman pointed his gloved hand towards the overgrown forest.

Twilight nodded. "In my vision I saw Princess Celestia say that the Tree of Harmony controls the growth of the Everfree Forest." Twilight cast a glance at the assaulting vines. "Obviously, something's gone wrong with it."

"Yes… obviously," Forman muttered, dryly.

Twilight ignored him and addressed the rest of the group. "We have to hurry and find the Tree of Harmony. Soon Ponyville will be overrun and the rest of Equestria will be next!"

"Princess, I have a question," Captain Becker said. "Where exactly is the Tree of Harmony?"

"I don't know," Twilight admitted. "We're going to have to look for it."

"That's… not much of a plan," Forman remarked.

Twilight shrugged. "No, but it's all we've got to go on. You guys coming, or not?"

Captain Becker turned and looked at Colonel Davis. "Sir, permission to take Lieutenants Forman and Marshall to assist Princess Twilight Sparkle in her search?"

"Granted, Captain," Davis nodded. "I'll gather the rest of our forces and organize a defense of Ponyville."

"Good idea, sir." He looked now at Twilight. "Lead the way."

* * *

"I don't like it sir. It's too quiet."

Captain Becker looked over at Lieutenant Forman, who had just made this remark. Becker had to agree with him; he'd expect more activity from a forest that was invading a town. Yet, despite the think vines that covered the forest floor and hung from trees, they encountered no resistance.

"Hmm…" Becker made his way over to a vine that was as thick around as his torso.

"What is it?" Twilight asked.

"There are vines everywhere, but we're not being attacked. Why not?" He drew cautiously closer to the vine, and it trembled slightly. However, his presence elicited no further response from the normally aggressive plant.

"Maybe… it doesn't have enough energy to attack us?" Marshall suggested.

"How do you mean?"

"Well… think about it. I'll bet it takes a lot of energy to keep all those little vines going. So, all the energy is going there," Marshall pointed in the direction of Ponyville, "instead of here," he finished, gesturing around him.

"And these bigger vines are carrying the energy to all the smaller ones," Forman said, catching onto what his friend was saying.

"Exactly," Marshall agreed. "They're like power lines, or big extension cords."

"And where there's a power line, there's a power plant," Becker said.

"What are you guys talking about?" Dash asked, cocking in eyebrow in confusion.

Becker brushed her question aside. "Twilight, the Tree of Harmony is powerful, right?"

Twilight nodded. "That's what Princess Celestia said."

"Well, if what Marshall suggested is correct, then that tree is providing the power these vines need to execute their assault. If we follow them, we might be able to locate the tree."

It was a good idea, Twilight thought. In fact, she was a bit disappointed that she hadn't thought of it sooner. She was a princess, after all.

The vines were gnarled and twisted across the forest floor, but they did seem to be coming from the same direction, more or less. After following the vines for several minutes, they came to a small pond full of water.

"We need to get to the other side," Captain Becker said. "Who wants to go first?"

"It's probably full of leeches," Forman shuttered, peering into the murky depths.

"We can use these to cross," Twilight said, pointing at tall rocks spaced just within jumping distance of each other.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Forman asked.

Twilight shrugged in reply. "Well, if you'd rather wade across with the leeches…" She trailed off as she walked to the edge of the water.

Twilight leapt onto the nearest rock and let out a cry of alarm as it shifted beneath her. She felt herself being lifted up several feet and when she looked down, she realized it hadn't been a rock she had jumped on to; it had been the back of a submerged Cragadile.

It flicked its tail, sending Twilight soaring back to the shore, where she landed with a painful-sounding grunt. Then, with surprising speed and agility for a creature of its size, the Cragadile turned around and began advancing towards the Humans and Ponies.

"A Cragadile! Run for your lives!" Rarity shrieked.

Captain Becker, Lieutenant Marshall, and Lieutenant Forman leapt into action, gathering together and opened fire on the reptilian beast. They didn't accomplish much, however. Their weapons were intended for use against much smaller creatures, and they only succeeded in angering the Cragadile, which in turn brushed all three soldiers aside with a sweep of its head.

With the three Americans temporarily incapacitated, the massive reptile turned its attention towards Twilight Sparkle, who was backed against a tree and had no method of escape.

Except, of course, for her wings!

Twilight desperately beat her wings as the Cragadile closed in on her, but in the heat of the moment, she found herself unable to perform the action correctly. Each time she managed to become airborne, she would fall right back down onto the ground.

The Cragadile was imminently close now. It opened its powerful jaws and moved in for the kill. Suddenly though, only a few feet away from Twilight, its massive toothed-mouth snapped shut and it was unable to move any closer.

Twilight's eyes shot open as she realized that her friends were using a vine as a makeshift rope to restrain the Cragadile. One-by-one, her friends secured more "ropes" to each of the creature's limbs, rendering it immobile.

"Are you three alright?" Twilight asked the three U.S. soldiers, who were only now recovering from the incident.

"I'm fine," Becker painfully grunted. "I've been through worse."

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief. "That," she said, "was close."

"A little _too_ close, if ya' ask me" Applejack replied. "You sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Twilight said. "I just can't seem to get these new wings to do what I want them to do, when I want them to do it." Her tone indicated she was, understandably, frustrated by her failure.

"Ah, you'll figure it out eventually," Dash said with a smile, doing her best to reassure her friend.

"Eventually isn't soon enough," Twilight replied, as the group began to move out again. The three Human soldiers formed a protective ring around the ponies, now at an elevated state of caution.

"You have been having an awful lotta' trouble with those," Applejack remarked. "And well… who knows what else is gonna' come after us."

Applejack took in a deep breath and prepared herself mentally for what she was about to say next. "Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea for Twilight to go back to Ponyville and let us look for the Tree of Harmony, without 'er," she blurted out quickly.

"What?!" Twilight demanded. "Why?"

"For starters, ya' just about got eaten by a Cragadile," Applejack replied.

"We all did," Twilight said with some heat. "He wasn't after just me."

"Sure, but the rest of us aren't princesses." Applejack's tone was calm and reasonable.

Twilight's however, was not. "What's _that_ got to do with anything?!"

"Actually Twilight, she's right." Captain Becker chose this point to intervene, in Applejack's favor. "Right now, you're Equestria's leader. You can't put yourself in this kind of danger."

"I can't leave my friends here to face that danger alone, either," Twilight replied. "Besides, I've got the Element of Magic; we need to be together to use the Elements of Harmony."

"Once we find the tree I'll radio for you. We can secure the area, and Davis can send a squad along as an escort. But we don't actually need you to find the tree."

"I'm the only one who knows what it looks like!" she countered.

Dash swooped down to her eye level. "Huge tree, cutie marks on the trunk, probably being attacked by something hideously awful; yeah, I'm pretty sure we'll know it when we see it."

Rarity added her own opinion. "Twilight, it's truly touching to see you care for us so, but they're right, I'm afraid. Equestria simply cannot afford to lose you."

Twilight scanned the group before her, trying to find some source of support for her arguments, but she failed to detect any possible allies. Her friends, Human and Pony alike, both seemed to agree she needed to head back to Ponyville.

"All of you feel this way? Feel like I shouldn't be here?" She could feel tears building up at the thought of having to abandon them here and return to the relative safety of Ponyville, but when faced with such overwhelming opposition, she didn't see that she had much of a choice.

"It is probably for the best," Fluttershy consoled.

Twilight tried to find something she hadn't thought of yet, something that would convince her friends she needed to stay with them, but nothing came to her. Defeated, she hung her head and trudged back to Ponyville.

* * *

"Sergeant, you've seen these things in action; tell me, do you think we can beat them?"

Colonel Davis was standing around a table featuring a map of Ponyville and the surrounding areas. He was joined by what remained of the First Alternate Reality Groups leadership, including Sergeant Major Erik, to whom his question had been directed.

"Sir," Erik said gravely, "these things are damn persistent. Every time you kill one vine, two more take its place. We can hold them off for a short amount of time sir, but we can't beat them."

"I see. How long can we hold them off, would you say?"

"I estimate we have enough ammunition for an hour of fighting. No more than an hour, sir."

"And once that hour is up?"

Erik shrugged. "How fast can you run, sir?"

Davis muttered a curse under his breath. The more he found out about their situation, the worse it looked.

"Sir," another soldier began, "now might be the best time to begin evacuations."

"Perhaps; any ideas on where we would evacuate to?"

"Canterlot, sir; it's in a good defensive position, their guards can back us up if the need arises, and it's the closest city to us."

"I agree. If we need to evacuate, it will be to Canterlot," Davis said.

"Sir, you might consider instructing the civilians to proceed to Canterlot at this time. It'll be much safer for them to go now, instead of during an attack on the city."

"Right. Lieutenant Covey," Davis said to the soldier who had been speaking, "locate Mayor Mare and advise her on the situation. Have her get her citizens ready for evacuation to Canterlot. We'll provide them a small squadron for escort."

"Yes, sir," Covey saluted, and went off to execute his task.

"Sir," Erik said as he watched the lieutenant go, "what about Captain Becker and the others?"

"What about them, sergeant?" Davis asked.

"They went into the forest to try and stop the vines; do you think there's a chance they might succeed?"

The colonel sighed and looked at the drawing of the Everfree Forest on his map. "I don't know, sergeant. We haven't been able to raise them on the radio. It could be equipment malfunction, or it might be magic interference from the forest similar to what brought down our Osprey. Or it could be that they're all KIA," Davis shrugged. "Whatever the case may be, without a clear status report we have to assume the worst."

Erik solemnly nodded his agreement, and then he noticed a familiar unicorn trotting up the path from the forest.

"Well sir, it might not be by radio, but I think we can get a status report," he said, pointing towards Twilight Sparkle.

* * *

Twilight had passed through the Everfree Forest without incident. Spike had followed her silently, keeping watch over his friend. She was approaching Ponyville now, and she heard her name being called.

"Princess Twilight!"

She looked towards the source of the noise and saw Colonel Davis bounding over to her.

"Colonel?"

"Princess Twilight," he repeated, and paused for a moment to catch his breath. "What's happened? Did you succeed in your mission? Where are Captain Becker and the others?"

Twilight shook her head sadly. "They sent me back; said I was too valuable to be taking risks."

Colonel Davis nodded. That made sense to him, with Twilight being a princess. "Well… just sit tight. Captain Becker will do everything he can to stop these damn vines."

Twilight nodded silently back at the colonel. She didn't doubt that Captain Becker or any of her others friends would do their best to find the Tree of Harmony, but she still wished she was there to play a more active role.

Twilight's head shot up rapidly. "Maybe I could help you, here?" She might not be able to search for the Tree of Harmony, but that didn't mean she was completely useless. Maybe she could help in Ponyville, instead.

Almost apologetically though, Colonel Davis shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Not unless you know some form of combat magic."

Twilight's spirits sunk again; combat wasn't one of her strong points. "Maybe something else, like planning? I'm great at planning," she said hopefully.

Colonel Davis let out a sigh and gave her a look of genuine sympathy. "Princess, I appreciate how difficult it must be for you to stand by and do nothing, but let's face it; this is a battlefield, and you have no military experience."

He was right, Twilight knew, but she loathed the feeling of being so useless. The Ponies in Equestria were her citizens, and she felt responsible for them. The thought of being unable to help them when they so desperately needed it was causing her to question whether she was qualified to even be a princess, in the first place.

Davis sensed her need for something to do and thought up a task. "Actually, we are planning to evacuate Ponyville. Maybe you could get down to the town hall and oversee it?"

Her mood shot up instantly; finally, something useful to do!

"They could probably use some motivational words down there," Colonel Davis added, "and maybe you can put those organization skills of yours to work."

"Yes; of course. I'll get over there right away," Twilight responded enthusiastically, and galloped off towards the Town Hall, followed closely by Spike.

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Dash droned, as they trudged through the Everfree Forest.

"No Dash. We are not there yet," Lieutenant Forman replied, rolling his eyes. This hadn't been the first time he'd answered this question.

Dash let out an audible groan of irritation. "How much further?"

"I'm sure we're getting close," Forman replied through gritted teeth. He was typically fond of the Pegasus, and she had saved his life earlier that day, but she desperately needed to learn some patience.

"You've been saying that same thing for the past half hour," Dash complained.

"You've been asking that same thing for the past half hour!" Forman snapped back.

"Pipe down; both of yeh!" scolded Applejack. "You're acting like foals on a road trip!"

Really, Applejack thought, they should know better. She let out a sigh and picked up her pace, drawing parallel with Captain Becker.

"So, Captain," she began, "are we there yet?"

"I think we're getting close," Becker replied. "These vines seem to be getting thicker, so I imagine that indicates were getting closer to their source. Then again, I could be totally wrong about how these things grow," he shrugged.

"You know, we're almost at Celestia and Luna's old castle," Rainbow Dash cut in. "Maybe what Twilight saw when she took that crazy potion wasn't real," she said. "Maybe there is no Tree of Harmony; we could be walking right into a trap!" she gasped. "Maybe—!"

"Maybe it's right down there," Applejack interrupted and pointed a hoof towards a cave located in ravine.

"Hmm…" Captain Becker mumbled as he surveyed the cave with his binoculars.

"See anything?" Lieutenant Forman asked.

Becker shook his head. "Maybe; we'll have to get down there to tell for sure."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Rarity asked, eyeing the steep walls of the ravine. Trying to scale those rocks was akin to suicide.

"Take the stairs, silly!" Pinkie called out from the base of a staircase leading down into the ravine.

"Pinkie," Becker chuckled, "what would we do without you. He stuffed his binoculars back into their pouch and signaled to the group. "Let's go."

* * *

Twilight went over her check list for a fifth time. She didn't believe that she had missed something; rather she needed something to do; something to occupy her time while she waited for Captain Becker to find the Tree of Harmony. If she broke from her routine for even a moment, she knew that the feeling of total uselessness would return.

Exactly as it was doing right now, Twilight thought, with a sigh. She set down her checklist and shook her head. Twilight knew that she was only using this task to distract herself. Oh sure, the preparations for the evacuation had gone smoothly with her guidance, but she belonged with her friends.

Her friends, she thought, who were risking life and limb to put the Everfree Forest back to normal, while she sat safe and secure behind the defensive line set up by U.S. troops.

"Why so glum, Twilight? Weren't you able to find your tree?"

Twilight raised her head up and saw that Discord made his way over to her.

"We ran into trouble," she muttered, "and my friends decided it would be best for me to return to Ponyville; Equestria will need me if Princess Celestia and Princess Luna don't return."

"You returned to the safety of Ponyville while your friends remained in harm's way?" Discord asked, with mock awe. "Twilight, I never thought you'd be the kind of Pony who thought she was more important than everypony else."

"I don't think I'm more important than _anypony_!" she barked back at him.

"Oh, well, how silly of me to assume that," he retorted. "After all, when your friends ran into danger, you only chose to gallop back to Ponyville to keep yourself safe, at the expense of others I might add," he said, as a Human soldier passed them by, carrying a wounded comrade over his shoulder.

Twilight felt her knees go weak at the sight of the unconscious man's limp form dangling from his friends back. Then she felt them become weaker when she thought the same thing might very well happen to one of her friends, while she was safe in Ponyville.

"I never should have agreed to come back here!" She stomped a hoof as her fear was replaced by a fiery spirit of determination. She _would not_ sit idly by as other Ponies, and Humans for that matter, took risks for her; especially not her friends.

Twilight took off at a gallop towards the Everfree Forest as while Discord waved a farewell at her, wearing a self-satisfied grin all the while.

"Come on Twilight," Spike panted as he ran alongside her, "Discord may be reformed, but he's not that reformed! He's just trying to get under your skin!"

"Well, it's working!" she replied, and quickened her pace into the forest. As she sprinted towards her destination, she failed to take notice of distance yelling and gunshots as the vines from the Everfree Forest began to make their final assault on Ponyville.

* * *

"Okay, so, guess this is it, huh?"

Lieutenant Marshall looked on with the rest of his group as they stood before a massive crystalline tree, which was covered in distinctive black vines.

"The Tree of Harmony," Forman said to no one in particular.

"Alright everyone… and uh, everypony," Captain Marshall said as the returned to the Ponies and Humans waiting in the cave. "I'm unable to raise Ponyville on the radio, meaning Twilight isn't going to be coming; looks like we're going to have to figure out what to do on our own."

"We need to hurry," Fluttershy said, with concern. "Look at the tree; I think it's dying!"

"So let's save it!" Applejack said, and leapt into action, grabbing one of the smaller vines with her teeth and trying to pull it up. It didn't budge, and when she lost her grip on the vine, she landed hard on the ground.

"Nice try," Dash called out sarcastically, and rocketed towards the vines covering the tree. Her attempt was foiled as well, when a tendril shot out and knocked her out of the air.

"Valiant efforts on both your parts, but the tree remains in jeopardy," Rarity sighed.

"And I suppose you've got a better idea?" asked Applejack, cocking an eyebrow at her friend.

Rarity opened her mouth to reply, and then shut it; she actually didn't have any better ideas.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

"I'm sure we can come up with something if we just put our heads together," Marshall said, trying to be the voice of reason. "I mean, sure our situation isn't ideal, I'm sure we have time to think of a plan. After all, we don't have anything that suggests there's any imminent danger."

As soon as he said this, a low humming noise filled the air and the vines leeching onto the tree began to grow slightly in size.

Marshall nodded. "Right," he said, calmly. "Forget what I said; there is very much an indication of imminent danger. Now, do any of you have any idea what the hell these vines are doing?"

"If these vines do what we think they do," Forman said, "I'd guess that they're taking more power from the tree."

"Meaning there's a good chance that another assault on Ponyville is under way," Becker theorized. "We need a plan, now."

"I know who would know what to do," Fluttershy said, sadly, "but we sent her home.

"Actually sir, I've got one," Forman said, "but I don't know how popular it'll be."

Captain Becker indicated for Forman to proceed.

"Well, seems to me that if these vines need the tree for power, if we deprive them of that power, then they'll starve out." He waited for the mummer of general agreement to die down before continuing.

"The problem is we'll need to destroy the very roots of the vines to kill them. And those roots are embedded in their power source; the Tree of Harmony." This time there was no mummer of agreement; his small crowd waited to see what his next words would be.

"So," he said, hesitantly, "if we were to rig the tree with C4 charges, we'd take out both the roots, along with their power source; an attack on their logistics route, if you will."

"And these C4 charges; they'll do what, exactly?" Applejack asked, skeptically.

"They'll ahh… blow the tree up."

"_Blow the tree up_?!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "Are you _crazy_?!"

"Listen, I know how it sounds, but the vines are feeding off of the tree. If we destroy the tree, then they'll starve."

"So, just to clarify," Applejack began, "you want to blow up the Tree of Harmony."

"Yes."

Applejack glanced sideways at Captain Becker, who nodded slowly. "Lieutenant Forman has a valid idea," he said. "Perhaps a bit extreme, but we don't seem to have any other options. I support his idea."

"Well, Lieutenant Forman, if you'll forgive me," Rarity said, apologetically, "I for one find it simplistic and destructive. There simply has to be a better way."

"Such as…?" Captain Becker asked.

"We could… destroy the vines connected to the tree, instead," Rarity suggested.

"If we do that, my guess is that the vines will just grow back from what's still connected to the tree," Forman replied. "We have to kill the roots, which seem pretty much embedded in the tree."

"We couldn't okay ya' to destroy that tree, even if we wanted to," Applejack said. "That'd have to be Twilight, or Celestia, or somepony like that."

"Yes," Rarity agreed. "Twilight is the princess; you cannot destroy that tree without her approval."

"Well, Twilight isn't here," Marshall pointed out.

"Meaning, of course, that you cannot destroy the tree," said Rarity, with a nod.

The cave was filled with silence as the group tried to figure out what to do. The problem was, what Forman said made sense. The Equestrians knew this, but they couldn't bear the idea of destroying the Tree of Harmony. Finally, Captain Becker broke the silence.

"We're out of time," he said, shaking his head. "Here's what I'll do; unless all of you," he indicated the Equestrians, "order me not to, I'm going ahead with Lieutenant Forman's plan."

The five Ponies watched as he marched past them, but none of them said a word. They were silent as the three Humans placed explosive charges around the tree, they were silent as they retreated a safe distance away from the cave, and they were silent as Captain Becker brought out the detonator for the explosives.

"Fire in the hole!" he called, and flipped the plastic safety cap off of the detonation switch.

"_Oof! Ow! Ug_!"

Captain Becker paused with his finger about the flip the switch, as he heard someone's apparent cries of pain. He looked over at Forman and Marshall, who shrugged, and then to Equestrians, who were apparently as confused as he was.

Then he saw it; a purple dragon sprinting towards them from the base of the stairs. Twilight's assistant, wasn't he? Spike?

"Twilight! Trouble! Help!" he called, stopping in front of them.

The Ponies and Humans crowded around the out-of-breath dragon.

"Where is she?"

"What's happening?"

"How far is it?"

Spike brushed all their questions aside. "C'mon, follow me! Hurry!"

* * *

Most of Twilight's trip through the Everfree Forest had been without incident. It had seemed that Lieutenant Marshall had been right when he assumed they weren't likely to encounter any hostile vines inside the forest. That was, until now.

Now, Twilight was barely conscious and laying on the ground. She had been attacked by some new kind of vine, which had released some sort of gas which was slowly rendering her unconscious. It seemed that her friends had been right, after all, Twilight thought, glumly. The Everfree Forest was no place for a princess.

Three loud, sharp, _bangs_ echoed through the forest and hammered against Twilight's ears; one of the plants that had been attacking her let out a pitiful hiss, and fell to the ground. The remaining plants faced the source of the noise.

"Listen here, you rabid rhododendrons! You mess with one of us; you mess with _all_ of us!" drawled a familiar voice.

Twilight looked up and saw Applejack standing nearby with Lieutenant Marshall at her side, holding his rifle to his shoulder.

The plants let out angry hisses and swiftly advanced towards the pair. That was the precise moment when the rest of her friends began their assault, charging in from concealed positions around the plants.

With the combined efforts of both the Humans and the Ponies, it didn't take them long to defeat the offending vines. Once reasonably certain the area was secure, Captain Becker made his way over to Twilight.

"Guess I should've stayed in Ponyville, huh?" she coughed.

"Yes, you should have. But, we're all glad you're here." He helped Twilight onto her hooves.

"Yeah; Equestria may need its princess…" Rainbow Dash began.

"But we need our friend," Fluttershy finished.

* * *

"You were going to… blow it up?" Twilight asked, with some disbelief. They were back in the cave with the Tree of Harmony now, and just having the situation explained to her, Twilight was very glad she had come along when she did; even if she had been attacked by vines.

"Lieutenant Forman had the idea to starve the vines of power by destroying their roots, along with the tree, but I fully supported him, and I was the one about to hit the detonator switch when Spike showed up. If anyone's to blame, it's me, not him," Becker replied, sternly.

Twilight shook her head. "I don't think we'll need to someone to blame," she said. Like her friends, she saw the logic in Forman's plan. She too wouldn't be happy about the destruction of the tree, but she supposed if it meant saving Equestria, it would have been worth it.

"But now that yer here Twilight, all the Elements of Harmony are together and we can stop these vines from attackin' Ponyville," Applejack summarized. "Without destroying the Tree of Harmony," she added.

"Hmm…" Twilight flew up and tried to look the tree over from the air; perhaps she'd see some detail that could be important later. She saw her cutie mark engraved into the trunk and flew in for a closer look.

As she drew closer to the tree, tendrils shot out and ensnared her front hooves.

"Gah!" she yelped, and severed them with a blast from her horn.

"Careful up there!" a voice called from the ground. Looking down, Twilight saw that the three U.S. soldiers had been prompted raise their weapons and were covering her as best they could.

Twilight nodded and returned her attention to the tree.

During her vision of the past, Princess Celestia had said something important, Twilight thought. What was it, now? _Even without these elements, the Tree of Harmony will possess a powerful magic. As long as that magic remains, it will continue to control and contain all that grows here_. Looking the tree over, she saw where each of the Elements would fit into the branches.

The elements; of course!

"I know how we can save the tree," Twilight said, definitively, and she landed back on the ground. "We have to give it the Elements of Harmony."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, hey! How are we supposed to protect Equestria?!" Rainbow Dash protested.

"How are we meant to rein Discord in if we can't use the Elements to turn him back to stone?" asked Rarity.

"Twilight, the Elements of Harmony… they're what keep us connected no matter what," Applejack said.

"The Elements of Harmony might be what brought us together, Applejack. But it isn't the Elements that will keep us connected. It's our friendship. And it's more important and more powerful than any magic." Twilight met the eye of the other element bearers as the spoke.

"My new role in Equestria may mean I have to take on new responsibilities, and our friendships may be tested, but it will never, _ever_ be broken," Twilight said, beaming brightly at each one of her friends.

"Besides, it beats blow the tree up, right?" Twilight asked, offering a friendly smile to Forman, who shrugged in return.

"I don't mean to be an ass, but…" Captain Becker tapped his fingers against his watch, and Twilight nodded, understanding.

"Right," she said, flying up into the air again. "Now c'mon, Everypony; there's no time to loose! Ready?"

"Ready!" her friends replied, in unison.

Twilight lifted the Elements off of the necklaces her Equestrian friends wore, and carried them into the air with her magic. She removed the jeweled element from her own crown, and the elements began to spin around her, leaving behind a rainbow-colored trail.

"Lookie there," Marshall said. "A rainbow."

"They are pretty awesome," Rainbow Dash agreed.

Suddenly, several tendrils shot forward towards Twilight, and wrapped around her torso.

"Watch out!" Forman tried to warn her, but he was too late. By the time he had called to her, Twilight's limbs were completely immobilized.

The three Americans opened fire on the attacking vines. Unfortunately though, their vines were close enough to their power source that they were healed instantly. They ceased fire when they realized their shots were having no effect.

Despite the vines wrapping over more of her body, Twilight managed to keep her wits about her. She knew that the Elements of Harmony needed to go into their appropriate places on the tree, and focused all her effort on making that happen.

Twilight's own element reached the tree right as the vines wrapped their tendrils around her face, completely obscuring her from the view of her friends below. For a moment, nothing happened. And then, the Elements began to glow, restoring the trees power.

Now fully healed, the tree took its revenge on the parasitic vines that had leeched so much of its power away. All the vines connected to the tree were burned away, freeing Twilight, leaving behind no trace of their existence.

* * *

"Look out!"

Corporal Garnet heard the shouted warning only a second too late; a vine slammed into him from behind, and the soldier landed hard on the ground.

He had felt his rifle leave his grip when the vine attacked him, but his pistol was still secure in his holster, he knew. Garnet rolled over onto his back and drew the handgun, firing a shot into the tendril. Only one shot, because his slide locked back after he had fired. The corporal realized, with horror, that his magazine must have had only one round in it, and that one round had failed to stop the attacking vine.

The vine reared back to strike down on the soldier, and Garnet knew it was over. He wouldn't be able to reach a new magazine in time, so he simply dropped the gun and closed his eyes, waiting for the final blow.

And waited.

Still waiting.

Shouldn't he be dead by now? Garnet risked cracking open one eye, and taking a look.

There was no vine, but Corporal Jackson was standing in front of him, giving him a worried look.

"Whatcha' doing there, man?"

"The vines… they're…"

"Gone; burned up." Jackson shrugged, and helped Garnet onto his feet.

"So…"

"They did it," said Colonel Davis, who appeared to have materialized out of nowhere. "Becker, Forman, Marshall, and all the Ponies; they did it!"

"So, what then? Three cheers for Becker, Forman, Marshall, and all the Ponies?" Garnet suggested.

Some of the men around him laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of how it sounded. Then, being men very glad to be alive, that was exactly what they cheered.

* * *

All the vines had been cleared away, Twilight noticed, except for two, both which appeared to be wrapped around something. She wasn't curious about them for long, though; in the same fashion as the others, these vines were burned away, revealing the forms of Princess Celestia, and Princess Luna. Both of whom appeared to be totally unharmed.

A smile broke out over Twilight's face and she shot forward to embrace the two sisters.

"We know how difficult it must have been for you to give up the elements," Celestia said. "It took great courage to relinquish them."

She took notice of the U.S. soldiers standing amongst the Equestrians. Disengaging herself from Twilight, she walked over to them and addressed the three Americans.

"Your colonel requested that a demonstration of your capabilities be presented," Princess Celestia looked them over. Their uniforms were dirtied and showed signs of damage in several places. The necks and faces of the soldiers were covered in minor cuts and scratches. It was obvious to her that they had faced hardships right alongside her own citizens.

"I do not think," Celestia continued, "that there could have been a better demonstration of determination, courage, and loyalty to ones friends," she said warmly, and inclined her head slightly. "You have my gratitude."

"It was nothing," Captain Becker shrugged. It had been Twilight and her friends who had saved the day, after all.

"Cancel tomorrows treaty talks and we'll call it even," Marshall said to her.

"I doubt there will be much further debate on the treaty," Celestia said with a chuckle.

"Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! Look at this!" Twilight was calling them over to a spot near the base of the tree. Upon their arrival, it was discovered that Twilight had found a small crystal box, with a keyhole on each of its six sides.

"What's inside it?" asked Twilight. "How am I supposed to open it?"

"Six locks, six keys," Luna said, and Celestia nodded.

"I do not know where the keys are. But I do know this is a mystery you will not be solving alone." Celestia looked meaningfully at Twilight's Equestrian friends.

* * *

"Bravo ladies, bravo!" Discord cheered, as they exited the Everfree Forest. A small crowd had gathered at the edge of the forest, and among the onlookers was Colonel Davis, joined by several other soldiers.

Captain Becker, Lieutenant Forman, and Lieutenant Marshall made their way over to him while Discord left with Twilight and her friends.

"Well done; all of you," Davis congratulated. "You managed to pull us out a quite a bit of trouble at the end, there."

"Thank you, sir; it was mostly Princess Twilight and her friends, though; we were just along for the ride." Captain Becker paused. "Sir, how bad did things get here?"

"Cuts and bruises mostly, maybe a broken bone or two. No fatalities, but there were some close calls. We'll be getting some reinforcements in soon to replace anyone who's injured."

Captain Becker nodded. This was good.

"So, Captain," Davis said, preparing to change the subject, "any chance this'll speed along the treaty?"

"Princess Celestia made it sound that way, sir; she said this was a good demonstration of our capabilities, as any."

"Another thing, sir," Lieutenant Forman began. "Twilight and her friends had to give up the Elements to Harmony to stop these vines."

"Meaning that now they just lost a valuable defensive asset, and will have to find some way to compensate for it," assessed Davis.

"That would be my guess, sir," Becker nodded, "and that might be where we come in."

"We won't know for sure until we get it all down on paper, of course, but I think our chances of getting that base just went up."

"Captain?" Twilight Sparkle had detached herself from the group of Ponies, and had made her way over the Humans. "Pinkie is throwing a party back in Canterlot to celebrate both saving the tree, and the Summer Sun Celebration. I thought I should invite you." She looked at Colonel Davis. "You're all welcome to come, of course."

Davis shrugged. "Go ahead," he said to the three soldiers. "You guys earned it."

"So," Marshall asked as they walk off with Twilight, "will there be cake?"

* * *

A lone Earth Pony walked slowly through Appleloosa's massive orchard of apple trees. It was late at night, and the trees overhead blocked out most of the moonlight, amplifying the darkness. The orchard was still and quiet, almost unnaturally so, putting the Pony on edge.

These sorts of late-night patrols had become commonplace in Appleloosa. The trees here were their primary source of food, and they couldn't afford to take the chance that they might be damaged. Therefore, each night, several Ponies from the town were expected to work in shifts, guarding the trees.

He heard a noise, and swung his head towards the source. "Anypony there?" he asked, praying it was the Pony scheduled to relieve him, even though he still had another hour on his shift.

There was no response, and he gulped nervously. _It must have been the wind_, he thought, even though the leaves overhead were perfectly still. _After all, a large animal, the kind that would pose a serious threat, would have made a much louder sound_, the Pony further rationalized.

Reassured, he continued patrolling deeper into the orchard. That was, until he heard another minute sound, directly in front of him.

_It's just the wind again_, he told himself, but he knew that it couldn't be the wind. Wind would rustle the leaves, but it wouldn't break sticks lying on the ground.

It was too dark to make out shapes, but he was sure he thought he saw something moving in front of him, followed by the sound of another twig cracking. Then another.

The Pony retreated backward until he bumped into a tree. He looked frantically left to right, regarding every shape, every shadow, as a hostile entity. He calmed down slowly, and realized that the orchard was totally silent once more.

_Maybe whatever it was had been scared off_, he thought hopefully, until he heard a deep, booming voice speak right into his ear. Not loud, but powerful; commanding. Three words which caused him to frantically bolt off into the night.

"Run, little pony."


	11. Chapter 11

**Authors note: **Thanks for reading. Report any misspellings, please.

**Chapter 11**

"Whatcha' think, Mark?"

"Future site of the first U.S. military base to exist on a different plane of reality." Lieutenant Marshall shrugged. "I guess they could've chosen a worse place to put it."

Lieutenant Forman and Lieutenant Becker were standing on a hill overlooking a large, mostly flat field. This location had been selected for a large U.S. base after the defense treaty with Equestria had been signed several weeks ago. In that time, more U.S. soldiers had arrived in Equestria, a roadway now existed in the Everfree to grant vehicles the ability to travel from the rift and into Ponyville, and the foreign soldiers were becoming an increasingly common sight to the inhabitants of Ponyville and Canterlot.

This base was intended serve as the main operations center for all future U.S. activities in Equestria. The base at the rift site would remain operational, of course, but mostly just as a go-between point. Having a base of operations inside of Equestria would increase the scale of operations that U.S. forces in Equestria could undertake.

Currently, the base was planned to house a sizeable garrison of Alternate Reality Group soldiers, armored vehicles, long-range missiles, and a variety of aircraft. Right now though, the only beings populating this area were a small unit of engineers who has just finished surveying the area, Lieutenants Forman and Marshall. And Twilight Sparkle, who Forman noticed trotting towards them.

"Here to take a sneak peek at our future base?" asked Forman, once she reached them.

"I'm afraid not," Twilight said, shaking her head. "I just received a letter from Princess Celestia; she's urgently requesting our presence in Canterlot." Twilight paused a moment and looked around. "Is Captain Becker here? Corporal Garnet said he might be with you."

Forman shook his head. "Captain Becker is in Ponyville; we wanted to come out here and take a look and where we'll be living pretty soon."

"Guess we should be getting back now, though," Marshall suggested, checking his watch, and casting a glance at the sun. It would be getting dark soon.

"Right," Forman agreed. The three of them began to make their way back to Ponyville.

"So, Twilight; what'd this letter say?" asked Forman.

"Only that she urgently needed me to collect my friends and bring them to Canterlot as soon as possible."

"That's all? It's not very descriptive."

"She'll tell us more once we get to Canterlot," Twilight said.

"Guess we'll find out in Canterlot, then," Forman replied. "When are we leaving?"

"This is an urgent meeting with Princess Celestia!" Twilight exclaimed, as if the answer to his question should be painstakingly obvious. "We're leaving as soon as we've gathered everypony together."

Marshall exchanged glances with Forman. "You know… it will be getting dark soon," he pointed out.

"I know; we need to hurry!"

* * *

"Princess Twilight." Celestia bowed to her as she entered the throne room. "I'm glad you and your friends could make it on such short notice."

"It was no trouble at all, Princess Celestia." Twilight bowed in return.

Lieutenant Forman huffed irritably; _no trouble at all_ did not describe situation. An absolute mad dash was, perhaps, a more accurate summary of events. The princess and the two lieutenants had scrambled all over Ponyville to assemble Twilight's friends and catch the last train to Canterlot. They could have all flown, of course, but the Equestrians had expressed reluctance to board any aircraft after witnessing the near-fatal accident with the V-22.

"I trust you're all curious about the circumstances of your summons," Celestia said, shifting her gave to each of them individually. "It is of the gravest importance."

Celestia trotted over to a table covered in what looked like maps and copies of legal documents. The Humans and Ponies crowded around, each trying to decipher how these papers were important. They did look familiar, Twilight thought, but it took her a second to place them.

"This is… a map of Appleloosa," Twilight said suddenly, and then turned her attention to one of the other documents. "And this is the agreement between the settler Ponies, and the Buffalo tribe."

Princess Celestia nodded approvingly. "Correct, Twilight."

"What's the deal, then?" Applejack asked. "Seemed like a fair agreement to me; why are we bringin' it up now?"

Celestia shook her head sadly. "It seemed fair to me as well; both parties negotiated a mutually beneficial outcome. Unfortunately, it appears the treaty between the Buffalo, and my little ponies, is no longer satisfactory."

"Excuse me," Captain Becker said, and held up a hand. "Would someone mind filling us Humans in?"

"Of course, Captain," Celestia said, apologetically. "There is a treaty in place between the Ponies of Appleloosa, and the tribe of Buffalo that inhabited the area before the Ponies settled, and established their town. When the Ponies planted their orchard, they inadvertently disrupted the traditional stampeding grounds of the Buffalo. To abbreviate the situation, the Ponies agreed to one: cut a path through the orchard to accommodate the stampede, and two: supply the Buffalo with a share of their food from the orchard."

"Supply the Buffalo with food? Like… as compensation?" Forman asked.

"More or less, Lieutenant," Celestia said. "For a time, the Ponies and Buffalo enjoyed a harmonious co-existence. Recently though, tensions have flared between the town and the tribe."

"Why?" asked Twilight. "What happened?"

"The situation is very unclear to me, Twilight. All I know is that a severe animosity has developed between the Ponies and the Buffalo; much worse than before. This is why, Twilight, I have called you and your friends here. It is imperative that you renegotiate a treaty between the Buffalo and the Ponies. Otherwise, I fear conflict is inevitable."

"Don't worry, Princess!" Dash exclaimed. "You can count on us!"

Celestia's mouth pulled into a slight smile. "I know I can."

Twilight, however, wasn't quite as sure as Dash. "There must be somepony better suited for this task, Princess; one of Equestria's diplomats, perhaps?"

Celestia gave Twilight a warm, encouraging smile. "You underestimate yourself, Twilight. After all, you are largely the reason there are three Humans standing with us, tonight."

Forman nodded agreement. "She's got a point there, Twilight; this should be child's play compared to inter-dimensional negotiation."

"Yeah Twilight; you got this!" Dash delivered a friendly punch to her shoulder.

"Remember Twilight, you have our unconditional support," Rarity said with a nod. The rest of her friends joined in, offering their own votes of confidence in her abilities.

"It will be a challenge, Twilight," Celestia began, "but I know that you're ready for it. Captain Becker, please assist in keeping the peace between the Ponies and Buffalo.

"Yes, ma'am," Becker replied.

"All of you should get to sleep," Princess Celestia said. "You have long journey ahead of you, tomorrow."

With the meeting concluded, Twilight and her friends began to shuffle out of the room. Captain Becker was almost at the door when he heard Celestia call him out. "A moment please, Captain?"

When they were alone in the room, Princess Celestia closed the door and turned to him.

"Captain, I feel I must clarify what I mean by keeping the peace."

"Don't worry; we'll show restraint," Becker said.

"That's not quite what I mean, Captain."

Becker's mouth formed a small frown of confusion. "I don't follow." He assumed that he would receive a lecture about using minimal force, but now that didn't appear to be the case.

Princess Celestia let out a sigh and paced over to the table. "I know it's told that I'm a gentle ruler," she said softly, and Becker nodded. That was the impression he got as well.

"However," she continued, "I've ruled for well over two-thousand years. In that time, I've imprisoned Discord in stone, I've banished my sister to the moon, and I've witnessed dozens of wars fought, most of which are now forgotten; written off as unimportant, and put down to the violent tendencies of generations past." She locked eyes with Captain Becker, and held his gaze. "I fear that we may not be above such violence, despite what my Ponies may wish to believe."

"Princess, are you suggesting we may have to use deadly force?" Captain Becker's question was direct and to the point. So simple, Celestia thought, and yet it could have such terrible repercussions.

"I don't condone violence, Captain. But I recognize that sometimes we are faced with an adversary who is evil enough to leave us with no other choice. After all, why else would I maintain an armed guard?"

"Ma'am, I'm not sure I can see your citizens forcing us into a situation like that," Becker said. These Ponies seemed to hold values like love and friendship in high regard; their most powerful weapon had been called the _Elements of Harmony_, for Pete's sake.

But Princess Celestia knew her Ponies better than he, Becker realized. If she had any reason to be pessimistic, then it was likely valid. "Fear can lead even the most loving creature to commit horrible acts of violence," the monarch replied. "Remember, Captain, how we greeted you on your first day."

He opened his mouth to protest that their response was completely understandable, but then he realized that, justifiable or not, Celestia and Twilight both had been ready to kill him, Forman, and Corporal Garnet; all three of them future friends of the Equestrians.

"I… guess I see your point," he admitted. "Did you tell Twilight any of this?" Becker asked, realizing that Celestia had made a point to wait for the others to leave before having this discussion.

"Twilight does not need to be burdened by this," Celestia said.

Becker drew a breath to protest, but Celestia held up a hoof for silence before he could begin. "I'm certain that Twilight is capable of understanding, Captain, but it would still weigh heavily on her mind. She would be worried about what would happen should she fail to negotiate peace. It would simply be an unnecessary source of stress for her."

She was right again, Becker thought. Then again, that shouldn't really come as a surprise from a ruler with two thousand years of experience.

"Now, understand; I'm not sending you to fight a war," Celestia continued. "Your only focus is to protect the innocent from harm, but do what you must to protect them."

"Don't worry ma'am," Becker replied. "We'll keep your Ponies safe."

With the amount of firepower at his disposal, Captain Becker was more than certain he could protect the Appleloosans; especially now that Celestia had given him clearance to use force when necessary. So, he was a bit surprised when she shook her head and gave him a sad look.

"I didn't say protect my Ponies, Captain." Her voiced matched her grim expression. "I said to protect the innocent."

* * *

Canterlot's train station was certainly a few degrees more impressive than Ponyville's, Lieutenant Forman thought to himself as he surveyed the compound. Last time he was here, the lieutenant hadn't paid it much attention; he had simply got off the train, and proceeded towards the castle. Now that he saw it in its entirety though, he couldn't help but be moderately impressed by Equestrian's engineering capabilities, even if it was behind Humanities.

"You've got everything you need, right?" he asked Twilight.

She nodded. "I've checked off everything on my list." Using a levitation spell, Twilight pulled the parchment from her bag and held it in front of him.

Forman raised his eyebrows for a second. She had made a list. _I really shouldn't be surprised. _"Well, watch after yourselves once you get to Appleloosa."

"Right…" Twilight paused. "I thought that you were coming with us."

"We are," Forman said, "but we have to make some unexpected extra arrangements. We should be there maybe half a day after you."

"Extra arrangements?" asked Twilight. How hard could it be for a few U.S. troops to pack their bags and get onto a train to ride out to Appleloosa?

"We're bringing along some vehicles and extra manpower," he explained. "That's where Captain Becker is; overseeing all that back in Ponyville. He left late last night but told Mark and I that we could stay behind to see you off, and then catch a train back to Ponyville."

Twilight nodded. That explained why Captain Becker was absent, while his two lieutenants were still here. However, that raised the question as to just why the U.S. was making this into a larger operation all of a sudden. "Some vehicles?" Twilight prompted.

"I'd guess they're for relief work. Food, water, medical supplies, you get the picture. And the more vehicles you bring into the equation, the more people you'll need to work them. I won't know for sure until I ride back to Ponyville, though." Forman paused as the sound of a distant horn reached his ears. "And speaking of trains, here comes yours now."

The train pulled up next to the platform, and stopped.

"All aboard!" called out the conductor.

"We'll be there ASAP," Forman said to Twilight. "Uhm… I better go give Mark a hand." The lieutenant excused himself and rushed over to Lieutenant Marshall, where the powerfully built soldier was struggling will Rarity's huge assortment of luggage.

"Looks like we'll be on our own for this one, Twi," Applejack said as she and her friend boarded the train car.

"For a few hours, at least," Twilight replied, levitating her and Applejack's bags into the storage compartment overhead.

"All that we're going to need is a few hours, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said, confidently. "We have done this before, ya' know."

"I know, Rainbow." Twilight sighed nervously. "I just get the feeling things are going to be more complicated this time around."

"Like how?" Applejack questioned. Before Twilight could provide an answer though, grunts and gasps of pain filled the air, along with the occasional shrill note of horror.

"Be careful! _Please!_" pleaded a voice that could only belong to Rarity.

Lieutenant Forman appeared in the doorway, backing slowly in and clearly struggling with the weight of the bags stacked onto a pallet that he and Lieutenant Marshall were carrying. "Okay Mark, come to my left a bit- _ouch! _Those were my fingers! Forward some now, and left more. Okay, good. Now together, we need to lift and— _no! Not yet!_"

Forman's bellowed warnings came a second too late. Lieutenant Marshall had lifted up his side of the pallet, tilting it so that Rarity's bags and luggage slid forward onto his unfortunate companion.

"Oh… God." Marshall said, though he didn't sound particularly concerned. More surprised.

Rarity's, on the other hand, was a totally different matter. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed, with a look of sheer terror on her face. She singled out one of her bags and tore open the top. After peering inside, a look of relief came over her face.

"Ah, thank Celestia; safe." She levitated one of her fashion projects out of the bag and held it up for them to see.

"I'm fine too, thanks for asking," grumbled Lieutenant Forman, standing up from the mess of bags and cases.

Rarity grinned sheepishly and avoided his gaze. "Ah… yes, glad to see that you are unharmed as well, Lieutenant."

Twilight cut in. "I think that next time, smaller, more manageable trips would be appropriate." The luggage was surrounded by a glowing purple aura, and Twilight levitated it onto the overhead storage compartments.

Marshall whistled. "That's some trick."

"Why didn't we just do that to begin with?" Forman asked. The train's loud whistle, however, cut off any reply. "Oh damn! We need to go!"

Forman and Marshall bolted out the door only moments before the train began moving down the tracks, out of Canterlot and towards Appleloosa.

"Alright girls," Twilight said once they were well underway. "I think we should try find out as much about what's going on _this _time, as quickly as we can. Spike and Rainbow Dash," she said to the two.

Spike looked in her direction, and Dash's ears shot up. Satisfied she had their attention, Twilight continued. "You both know members of the Buffalo tribe; I want you two to head out there and get their side of the story."

"You got it, Twi."

"Applejack, you take Rarity and talk to your cousin Braeburn. Fluttershy and I'll see Sherriff Silverstar."

"Ooh! What about me?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight hesitated, remembering how things had gone last time Pinkie tried to help resolve tensions between the Appleloosans and the Buffalo. She didn't want a repeat of their previous trip, but she still needed to give Pinkie something to do.

"Pinkie," Twilight said, forming an idea, "I want you to prepare a get-together for the Appleloosans and Captain Becker's men. Make sure they get to know each-other, okay?"

That, thought Twilight, would not only give Pinkie something to do, but it would also introduce the Appleloosans to the Humans. If there was anypony who could make friends it was Pinkie Pie, so she'd be the best choice to make sure the settler Ponies were, more or less, comfortable with the Humans.

"Yes ma'am!" Pinkie replied, enthusiastically. In her opinion, she was getting the best job out of all of her friends. "Now," she muttered, "I'll need balloons, streamers, cake…"

"Well, that takes care of who's doin' what," Applejack observed. "Now what?"

The friends sat about in silence, each trying to come up with something to occupy their time for the remainder of the long train ride.

"Anypony know any good songs?"

* * *

"Good Lord, sir; who are we going to war with?!"

Captain Becker heard Lieutenant Forman's voice from behind, and turned to face him. The lieutenant was staring at all the equipment, including attack helicopters, UAVs, and armored vehicles, sitting in the Alternate Reality Group's staging area.

"It's all for the peace keeping mission, Lieutenant," Becker explained.

"Isn't some of this a little… excessive, sir?" Forman asked as he watched a Stryker Mobile Gun System thundering towards them. "I mean, they're just a bunch of Buffalo, albeit sentient Buffalo."

"Princess Celestia seems to think otherwise," Becker replied.

"Princess Celestia ordered _this_?" asked Forman, shocked that the Equestrian monarch would do such a thing.

"Not explicitly, no. But she did authorize us to bring along basically whatever we want, so it seems prudent to keep on the side of caution, especially since we have no idea what these Buffalo are capable of," Becker said. "It never does to underestimate a potential enemy, Lieutenant; especially when we know nothing about that enemy."

"You're right sir," Forman admitted. "I just never thought a tribe of Buffalo would warrant this kind of firepower."

Captain Becker paused for a moment, considering his next words. "It's not exclusively to keep the Buffalo under control, Lieutenant."

Forman exchanged glances with Marshall, who was standing next to him. "Sir?"

"Princess Celestia made it very clear that our mission was to protect _all _innocent lives, meaning she thinks we may end up having to keep the Buffalo safe from Pony aggression."

"_Pony aggression_," commented Marshall. "Now there's a phrase you don't hear every day."

"Celestia told you all this, sir?" asked Forman. To him, the princess never seemed much like the type to order such an activity.

"I was a bit surprised myself, Lieutenant," Becker replied. "But it stands to reason that someone, or somepony rather, that's ruled for a couple thousand years would be forced to go to war at some point, and understand its occasional necessity."

Lieutenant Forman nodded. There wasn't much more for him to say; he agreed with what Captain Becker was saying, and he agreed with Princess Celestia, whom he seemed to have misjudged.

"I assume Twilight and her friends are inbound to Appleloosa?" asked Captain Becker, changing the subject.

"Yes sir; they left a few hours ago. By my estimate, they'll arrive very early tomorrow morning; 0100 hours, or thereabouts," Forman reported.

"And by my estimation, we should be arriving in Appleloosa ourselves right about midday. By then I'm hoping Twilight will have explained to the locals that they should be expecting us, and not to be alarmed."

"Yes, sir," acknowledged Forman.

"Until then, perhaps the two of you could make yourselves useful, here. We do have quite a bit to do, after all."

"Yes, sir," Forman and Marshall said, and set off on performing their tasks.

* * *

The train from Canterlot to Appleloosa pulled into the station in the early morning, as Lieutenant Forman had predicted. Save for a small inn, Appleloosa's train station was the only building in the town that still had any lights burning. The train carrying Twilight and her friends slid into the town completely unnoticed by its inhabitants.

"C'mon Everypony," Twilight yawned. "We're here." She stood up from her seat and shook Rainbow Dash awake.

"Ugh…" Dash groaned. "Five more minutes."

"Dash, in five minutes the train'll be gone," Applejack said, standing up on her hind legs to reach the bags stored in the compartments overhead. Working on a farm her whole life had granted Applejack the ability to effortlessly rise early in the morning, but the same could be hardly be said for the rest of the Ponies occupying the train car.

"Why must we arrive at this dreadful hour," whined Rarity.

"We have much of a choice, Rarity," Twilight said as she levitated her friend's baggage off the storage rack and out onto a cart conveniently positioned on the platform outside.

"C'mon!" Twilight prodded Rainbow Dash, who was slumped across her seat. "We can sleep when we reach the inn."

The Pegasus grumbled something undoubtedly less-than-flattering, and slid out into the isle.

With all of their luggage cleared out of the train, the six Ponies and one dragon began trudging up the road, towards the inn. Their movements were unseen by the sleeping Ponies that inhabited the town, but in the shadows that surrounded the settlement several Buffalo lurked in the cover of the darkness, observing the arrival of the train and the departure of the passengers.

The Buffalo had been keeping tabs on the Equestrian railway ever since the disputes with the settlers had begun. It was imperative to monitor its activity, so that the Buffalo tribe would have advanced warning if any Royal Guards arrived to assist the settler Ponies. And while the six Ponies who had just stepped off the train were far from a battalion of soldiers, there were certainly of interest to the Buffalo.

To say that the average Buffalo had any great knowledge of Twilight and her friends would be an exaggeration. They were, however, familiar with the tales of their exploits. And more importantly, their reputation.

One Buffalo looked sideways at his companion, allowing a hint of concern to show on his face.

"Go," the second Buffalo whispered. "Alert The Chief."

With a nod, the first Buffalo disappeared into the night, gone to inform their leader of this development.

The remaining Buffalo turned his attention back to the Ponies, who were now reaching the inn. Inside, he shared his companion's nervousness. According to the stories the Buffalo had heard, these six Ponies were often dispatched by Princess Celestia herself to defeat Equestria's most powerful enemies. Their sudden arrival in the dead of night and during a dispute between the Buffalo and the settlers almost undoubtedly meant trouble. Trouble, the Buffalo thought, that might prompt his leaders to accelerate their plans.


	12. Chapter 12

**Authors note: **Enjoy, and please report any misspelled words.

**Chapter 12**

"Applejack! Glad to see y'all again!" Braeburn's bellowed greeting cut across the apple orchard from where the Earth Pony was working to the entrance, where Applejack and Rarity stood.

"Howdy Braeburn!" Applejack waved a hoof at her cousin, and trotted over to him.

"How's the family back in Ponyville?" Braeburn asked, with a warm smile.

"They're all fine, Braeburn; how are you doin'?"

Braeburn's smile vanished. In its place, a much graver look took form. "I've seen better days, Applejack," he sighed. "The Buffalo are doin' their best to make things hard for us, here."

"This trouble with the Buffalo is precisely the reason for our visit," Rarity said.

A smile glint of Braeburn's happiness seemed to return. "I knew y'all would show up to help sooner or later."

"'Course we would, Braeburn," Applejack said, draping a friendly hoof over his shoulders. "We're family, after all."

"Now," Rarity continued, "if you would be so kind, please elaborate on the details regarding your predicament with the buffalo."

"The Buffalo," Braeburn hissed. "They're nothin' but a buncha' lousy ingrates."

"Ingrates?" asked Rarity.

"Ingrates," Braeburn repeated, accompanied by a nod of his head. "Our farms are all good and well as long as it's supplyin' _them_ with food, but if we want to expand some to feed our growin' town, well..." he trailed off.

"I don't understand," Applejack said. "Why won't they let you expand on yer farms?"

"Well, they did for a time," Braeburn admitted. "But a few months ago all that changed. Crops started gettin' trampled, equipment was destroyed in the night, and trees were dug up and hauled off."

"Trees dug up?" Applejack gulped. "Is Bloomberg…?"

"Just fine, Applejack," Braeburn said with a smile. "We've got 'em planted in the orchard near the town; those trees are safe. But we are havin' to post a watch now to protect the rest of the orchard."

Braeburn was smiling widely again. "But now that y'all are here, we can come up with a solution to the Buffalo problem." Braeburn pursed out his lips in concentration. "Say… aren't there supposed to be six of y'all?"

Applejack nodded. "The rest of us are tryin' to find out more about this trouble with the Buffalo."

"Twilight and Fluttershy are meeting Sheriff Silverstar," Rarity said.

"And Rainbow Dash and Spike are goin' to talk to the Buffalo," Applejack explained.

Braeburn nodded for a second, and then realized something. "Wait now; ain't Spike the little Dragon? Where's your other friend? The pink one?"

"Ah yes, Pinkie Pie," Rarity replied. "She's preparing a greeting for some guests of ours."

"Guests?" Braeburn didn't follow. Surely a town in the middle of a land dispute was no place to bring a guest.

"Bunch'a Human soldiers from someplace called the United States; they're here to help," Applejack explained.

"What the Sam-Hill is a Human?" Braeburn asked.

Before either Rarity or Applejack could conjure up an apt description of a Human, their ears detected the faint, distant but tell-tale sound of helicopter rotors beating against the air.

"You're about to see 'em first-hand, Braeburn," Applejack grinned. "Here they come now."

* * *

"Rainbow Dash, how much farther?"

Spike's groaned question broke the silence that had fallen over the pair as they searched for the Buffalo tribe's camp.

"They've gotta' be around here somewhere, Spike. Don't worry, we'll find them any second now," Dash replied, stopping to scan the horizon for any signs of Buffalo.

"You already said that," Spike grumbled.

Dash let out a sigh and squinted her eyes, trying to detect any indication that they were on the right track. Unfortunately, things didn't look promising. They had been searching all morning and found nothing.

Dash stomped a hoof in frustration. "Gah! How hard can it possibly be to find a couple Buffalo?!"

"You won't," declared a female voice from behind, which prompted a started Rainbow Dash to blast off several meters into the air. When she looked down though, Dash didn't notice any visible threat. Quite the opposite, in fact; she saw her Buffalo friend, Little Strongheart standing there with a wide smile on her face.

"Little Strongheart!" Dash blurted, relived it wasn't something more dangerous.

"You won't find a Buffalo, Rainbow Dash," she said with a chuckle. "They'll find you."

"Heh-heh… well, you've found us," Dash replied.

"So I have," she said. "Come, I'll take you to the rest of the tribe."

The three began walked off at a moderate pace, with Dash and Spike trailing behind Little Strongheart.

"Rainbow Dash, Mister Spike, what brings you back here?" she asked after several minutes of traveling in silence.

"Princess Celestia sent us in to put an end to this land dispute between you and the Ponies," Dash said.

"Just the two of you?" Strongheart asked, raising her eyebrow.

"What? Heck no, the rest of the girls are back in Appleloosa."

"So… there _are _six of you here?" Strongheart asked, slightly nervously.

"That's right," Dash replied.

"If you don't mind me asking, Little Strongheart," Spike began, "what's the sudden interest?"

"Oh… nothing. Just curious," Strongheart replied, unwilling to reveal the true motives behind her questions. She might be friends with Dash, but like the other Buffalo she was wary of the stories they had heard about the six powerful Equestrians.

Spike and Dash exchanged glances, but neither one said anything.

"Well, here we are," Strongheart said as they crested over a hill. Sprawled out in front of the three were hundreds of teepees, camp-fires, and Buffalo milling about the encampment. One of the teepees stuck out to Dash. It was larger and more elegantly decorated; undoubtedly this was Chief Thunderhooves's tent.

"My father's teepee," Strongheart said, as it reading Rainbow's mind. "Come; I'll show you to him."

Dash and Spike followed Little Strongheart through the camp, conscious of the looks they were receiving from other Buffalo. Soon the three arrived at the chief's teepee, and Strongheart pulled back the flap serving as the door so that her two friends could enter.

Once inside, Dash and Spike saw Chief Thunderhooves sitting on dry, bare dirt. His eyes were closed and his breathing was deep and rhythmic; clearly his attention was focused elsewhere, so the Pegasus and the Dragon simply sat down and waited to be noticed.

Unbeknownst to the pair, Chief Thunderhooves was not engaged in some act of meditation or deep concentration. Instead, he was sound asleep. The dispute with the Ponies left him with little time for luxuries such as rest. The previous night he had been up into the early morning with other Buffalo leaders as they considered what impact the arrival of Princess Twilight and her friends might have on them.

Strongheart entered and cleared her throat. "Father," she said, forcibly enough to rouse the Buffalo chief from his slumber.

"Hm?" he grunted, eyelids shooting open. "Yes? Oh." He registered the presence of Dash and Spike.

"Father, Rainbow Dash and Mister Spike are here to help resolve our conflict with the Appleloosans… again. Maybe it would be helpful to explain to them what's been happening?"

Thunderhooves sighed. "For a while," he recalled, "we prospered under the treaty. With a steady supply of food from Appleloosa, we didn't have to worry about gathering supplies ourselves. Food was abundant, and our population began to grow.

"However, the Ponies of Appleloosa were not content. They grew their population, their town, and their fields. They spread further and further into our lands. We finally decided that it would be intolerable for them to expand any more.

"We told the settlers they must cease their expansion. They wouldn't listen though, so we took matters into our own hands, hoping to stop their growth by eliminating their food. Despite our efforts though, the settlers continue to push more into our land, and now they have stopped supplying us with any food at all."

"Whoa, whoa, hold up. They've stopped sending food to you? But… that was part of the deal!" Dash exclaimed.

"Many of our Buffalo are now going hungry," Thunderhooves continued.

"Well, I've heard enough," Dash growled.

"Don't jump to conclusions, Dash," Spike cautioned. "Remember last time."

"The Appleloosans aren't keeping up their end of the deal, Spike!"

"Just… hold off on judgment until we get both sides of the story, okay?"

"Okay," Rainbow begrudgingly agreed.

"I'm sure Twilight is working on a plan right this very minute," Spike continued, trying to reassure his friend, who simply skulked in silence.

"Rainbow Dash…" Strongheart cocked her head to the side, her ears twitching as she tried to detect some distant sound. "Do you hear something?"

Rainbow's ears perked up; she could hear something. Something familiar… helicopters, she realized. The sound steadily grew in intensity and soon some commotion could be heard from outside the teepee.

"What is it?" Stongheart asked, somewhat fearfully.

"They're some friends of ours; c'mon, I'll show you." Dash led the Buffalo outside of the teepee and scanned the skies for the aircraft. It didn't take her long to spot the fleet of American aircraft soaring through the air.

"Look at that!" cried out a nearby Buffalo.

"If you think _that's_ cool, you should see some of _my_ routines!" Dash boasted. When she looked at the Buffalo who had spoken though, it was plain to see that he thought the helicopters were anything but _cool._ The Buffalo in question looked terrified by the loud machinery tearing through the skies only a few miles away from them.

"Strongheart, get a load of _this_ guy," Dash chuckled, but received no response from her friend. "Uh… Strongheart?"

Little Strongheart looked equally afraid of the aircraft, much to Dash's surprise. In fact, looking around, Rainbow Dash saw that all the Buffalo visible to her were having much the same reaction.

"Oh brother…" Dash muttered. Hopefully the Appleloosans didn't panic when those helicopters landed in their town, or this was going to be much more difficult than she had originally assumed.

* * *

Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy stood outside of Appleloosa's town hall. It was a small, box-shaped, two-story building situated in the center of the town. A small clock-tower protruded from the top of its flat roof, and like the rest of the buildings, it was made of wood. All things considered, it wasn't a particularly impressive structure. Especially when compared to Ponyville's town hall, or Canterlot's castle. But it was the center of Appleloosa's government, and where Twilight needed to be.

"Let's go, Fluttershy," Twilight said as she approached the entrance.

"Shouldn't we knock first?" asked Fluttershy. "I mean, it would be very rude to just barge in unannounced."

Twilight let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. She raised her hoof up and slammed it into the wooden frame of the entrance several times, listening to the sound as it reverberated through the building.

"Uh… come in," called a confused voice from inside.

Twilight cast a brief glare at Fluttershy, and entered the building.

"You don't have to knock, ya' know," said a pony behind a reception desk.

Twilight sighed. "We need to speak with Sheriff Silverstar."

The reception pony shrugged. "Right down the hall."

"Thank you." Twilight and Fluttershy trotted down the hallway and came to a door marked _Sheriff Silverstar_. Twilight opened it and found two ponies in the room; Sheriff Silverstar, who was sitting behind his desk, and one other pony, sitting silently in one of the chairs lined against the wall.

The sheriff glanced up from the papers on his desk and recognized the pair as some of the ponies who had helped the settlers and the Buffalo to get along last time. More significantly though, he realized that Twilight now wore a crown and sported a pair of wings in addition to a horn.

"Princess," he greeted, bowing to her.

"Oh… heh-heh… there's no need for any of that." Twilight chuckled self-consciously.

Silverstar rose back up. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"We're here to try and resolve the dispute between you and the Buffalo, sheriff; I need you to tell me everything you can about your problems with them."

"The Buffalo," Silverstar snorted. "There's no a lot to yell ya', ma'am. Our town started growin', so we needed more land for buildings and farmin'. The Buffalo didn't take too kindly to the idea of more Ponies in the area, so they'd come in at night and destroy our crops and equipment."

Twilight and Fluttershy exchanged glances. If Silverstar spoke the truth then it would be very difficult indeed to ever get the Ponies and the Buffalo to cooperate. After all, the two had to be willing to work together, but if the Buffalo simply didn't want any more settlers in Appleloosa, Twilight wasn't sure what she could do.

"It's not quite like that…"

Twilight realized that the other Pony, who they had ignored so far, had spoken these words. She turned to him and asked, "What do you mean?"

"The reasons for the conflict between the Buffalo and us aren't quite as simple as Sheriff Silverstar makes it out to be."

"Number Line," groaned Silverstar. "Not this again…"

Number Line, Twilight guessed, must be the Pony's name. "Do you have a theory of your own?"

"Yes…" he said, hesitantly. "But most don't care to hear it."

"Got that right…" Silverstar muttered.

Twilight, however, was more than willing to listen. "Anything you can provide us with would be helpful."

"Well… originally, the Buffalo would obtain most of their food by forging for it. This put a limit on carrying capacity of Buffalo tribes. However, when Appleloosa agreed to give the Buffalo food in exchange for using the land, the carrying capacity of the Buffalo increased dramatically, resulting in a significant boost in their population."

Number Line paused for a moment to see if Twilight was still with him. She nodded, and he continued. "At the same time the population of the Buffalo increased, the population of Appleloosa increased significantly as well. To compensate, Appleloosa needed to expand its farms and construct more buildings. The Buffalo saw us growing, but they noticed the amount of food we sent them didn't proportionally match our growth, and they believed we were cheating them. One thing led to another, and here we are today."

"Number Line," Silverstar sighed, "I'm sure you want to help, but don't waste the princess's time with your crazy theories."

"Actually," Twilight said, "it makes a lot of sense."

"It does?" Number Line and Silverstar said in unison.

Twilight nodded, and Silverstar looked puzzled.

"Well, I'll be…" To the sheriff, it seemed to make the most sense that the Buffalo just didn't want more Ponies around.

"Thank you, Number Line," Twilight said. "I think you've just provided us with exactly the information we needed."

"Oh, well…" he laughed nervously. "It was nothing."

"Now just have to wait for…" Twilight trailed off as the sound of helicopter rotors overpowered her voice. She peered out the window and saw more United States aircraft than she had ever before, a virtual fleet, touching down outside Appleloosa.

* * *

"Captain Becker."

The captain turned around to see Twilight, Fluttershy, and two other Ponies walking towards him.

"Princess, Fluttershy," Becker greeted.

"This," Twilight announced, "is Sherriff Silverstar, and Number Line."

Silverstar eyed Captain Becker nervously. "The princess says that you're friends of hers…"

"That's right," Becker replied. "We're here to help keep the peace between you and the Buffalo."

"Well, you'll certainly have your hands full with that," Silverstar muttered.

"Captain," Twilight began, "Lieutenant Forman mentioned you might be arriving with food and medical supplies."

"It should be arriving later on. We loaded the majority of our supplies onto transport trucks, which are still en route," Captain Becker explained. He neglected to mention, however, that in addition to transport trucks, there were also armored vehicles making their way to Appleloosa.

Twilight nodded slowly. Observing the soldiers, she noticed them offloading a variety of different weapons. Surely they would have been room for more supplies in the helicopters if all this equipment had been left behind.

Lieutenants Forman and Marshall came over to join the group and were promptly introduced by Twilight.

"Well, guess that does it for the introductions," Becker said. "Sheriff, if there's a place I could set up a command center…" Becker suggested.

"There's an open room in the town hall," Silverstar replied. "Y'all are welcome to set up there."

Becker nodded his thanks and they all began to make their way towards the town. Applejack, Rarity, and Braeburn intercepted them and more introductions were made. A few more minutes of walking and they arrived at the entrance to Appleloosa; a town which, Becker thought, looked surprisingly empty.

"Where is everypony?" Twilight wondered, surveying the desolation that had overcome the town.

"Probably hiding," Forman said. "Ponies do seem to take some time to warm up to us."

"Garnet, Jackson, go take a gander into that house over there," Becker ordered. "See if there's anyone home."

The two soldiers hustled over to the indicated building and peered in through an open window. There were possessions strewn about the interior, but otherwise no signs of life. "Nothing, sir!"

Lieutenant Marshall's eyes tracked Tumbleweed blowing across the abandoned streets. "This is eerie…" he muttered.

"We'd have noticed a wide scale evacuation," Forman commented.

"Or a Buffalo attack," Marshall added.

"So where did they all go?" Becker finished.

"Sir! Over there; look!" called a soldier.

"What is it?" Forman asked.

"I saw movement. It was like a… pink flash of some sort."

"A pink flash, eh?" Forman let out a sigh. "Well, I don't _think_ we have anything to worry about," he reported to Captain Becker.

"Look! There it is again!"

"It's coming closer!" another soldier said, a cry of alarm rising in his voice.

"Stand down, everyone," Becker said, beginning to catch on. "It's—" a loud boom cut him off, and the streets, as well as everyone on them, were showered in confetti.

"Surprise party!" bellowed none other than Pinkie Pie, emerging from a hiding place and appearing in front of the confused soldiers.

Appleloosans began to tentatively reveal themselves, per Pinkie Pie's instructions. It was at this moment that Twilight made sense of what was happening.

"Captain, Pinkie Pie was placed in charge of coordinating a meeting between your men and the Appleloosans," she explained. "Apparently, she thought that a surprise party would be the best way to do it."

"Well… it certainly was a surprise," Becker replied, brushing confetti off his shoulder.

"I do hope you don't find that objectionable," Rarity said.

Captain Becker shrugged. "I've been greeted in worse ways. At least this time I'm not being shot at."

* * *

Rainbow Dash trudged through across the sunbaked earth. Spike was following behind her, but she was not making conversation with him. In fact, she barely even registered the dragon's presence.

Despite Spike's advice to hold out on passing judgment, Rainbow Dash was not somepony who often waited. Preferring to live her life in the fast lane, Dash had already made up her mind about the situation. As far as she was concerned, the settlers were in the wrong for breaking their agreement with the Buffalo.

"Dash… break," pleaded Spike, panting.

"No time, Spike," she replied without even looking at him. "We need to find Twilight ASAP and let her know what's going on."

"You can just fly there, ya' know. I'm sure it'd be a lot quicker."

"And leave you by yourself? No way!"

"Well… what if you carry me on your back?"

"Carry you…" Rainbow Dash thought it over. She didn't usually take passengers, but if it meant reaching Appleloosa faster… "Alright Spike." She leaned down and spread her wings. "Hop on."

* * *

"So, the root problem is changes in population?" Captain Becker had just had the situation explained to him and was now trying to isolate the main causes of the problem.

Number Line nodded his head. "Yes, Captain; that's correct."

"Hmm." The room was silent, allowing the sounds of Pinkie's party to permeate the walls. From the sound of things, he was missing quite a party, but Becker assigned much higher priority to correcting the issue at hand.

Twilight Sparkle was equally deep in thought. "The question is, how do we use this information?"

"Sir, I've got an idea," piped Lieutenant Forman.

Becker gestured for him to go ahead.

"Okay sir, so with the Buffalo no longer receiving the amount of food necessary to sustain their population, we will need to supply them as part of our peace-keeping mission. But, this provides us with an opportunity to contain them."

"Explain."

"We set up food-camps operated by our soldiers, sir. We require the Buffalo to take up temporary residence in the camp to obtain food and medical supplies. We can monitor them and make sure they don't stage any large assaults on Appleloosa."

"That's… rather deceitful, Lieutenant," Rarity said, slightly uncomfortable.

"Yes," Becker agreed, "but nonetheless, it's a valid idea. A good one, even."

"Hm… I guess the Buffalo do get their food," Twilight said.

"Do you think the Buffalo would go along with it?" Marshall asked.

"Well… they're bound to be starvin'," Applejack said.

"I'll say they're starving!" boomed a voice from the door. Everyone turned and say Rainbow Dash marching into the room.

"Oh good, Rainbow; you're here," Forman greeted.

Dash was not in the mood to exchange pleasantries, however. "Twilight, Captain Becker," she said, addressing whom she considered the most senior present, "the Appleloosans have stopped sending the Buffalo the food that they _agreed_ to give them!"

"Well of course they did," Applejack said, frowning slightly. "The Buffalo started attackin' the orchards again."

"Applejack!" Rainbow's eyes shot open wide. "How are you not with me on this one! The Appleloosans went back on their agreement! Call me crazy, but that doesn't seem very _honest_, now does it?"

Sheriff Silverstar's eyebrows flared with indignation. "We sent them their food until _they_ day they attacked _us_!"

Everypony began to become involved in the debate until the argument became an unintelligible jumble of opinions. Everypony, except for Twilight, who found herself at a loss to prevent the infighting between her friends.

"_Settle down_!" roared Captain Becker. He waited until there was complete silence from the occupants of the room and continued. "I think _both sides_ contributed to this problem, so it will take _both sides_ to resolve it!"

He looked each of them in the eyes as he spoke. "Bickering is petty, childish, and brings us no closer to finding a solution for our common problem."

"Captain Becker is right," Twilight said. "There's a lot of Buffalo and Ponies counting on us to come up with a solution. We can't afford to be fighting amongst ourselves like this."

Rainbow Dash let out a sigh. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, Applejack," she said to the farmer.

"It's alright, Rainbow. I could've handled myself better, too."

"That takes care of that, I guess," Forman said, "but we kind of were in the middle of planning something."

Becker let out a chuckle. "So we were. We'd better get back to work, then."


End file.
